Building politically strong units; actively adjusting and consolidating organisational structure; improving the quality of training, combat readiness, and discipline observance... are the key contents in building all strong, "exemplary and typical" units in Naval Region 2. This is one of the foundations for the Region to constantly improve its overall quality and combat power, fulfilling its core role and firmly protecting the sovereignty of the Southwestern sea and islands of the Fatherland.

Naval Region 2 manages and protects a sea area of more than 300,000 square kilometres from Binh Thuan to Bac Lieu. This is a focal sea area which is not only rich in mineral resources but also sensitive and complicated with many potential factors of contingencies. Fully aware of the honour, responsibility, difficulties and challenges, over the past 15 years, officers and soldiers of the Region have always strived to fulfil their assigned tasks. In recent years, the Region has focused on strictly maintaining combat readiness; deployed thousands of patrol and reconnaissance trips; closely coordinated with friendly forces to firmly protect sovereignty and ensure the safety of marine economic activities within the scope of responsibility. Remarkably, the Region has successfully fought and prevented foreign ships illegally penetrating and violating Vietnam's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf; actively participated in propaganda against illegal, unreported and unregulated seafood exploitation. At the same time, it has always performed well the task of search and rescue at sea, becoming a solid fulcrum for fishermen to go fishing offshore and stick to the sea. For its outstanding achievements, the Region has been awarded the Third-class Feat Order by the State; two Fatherland Protection Orders (01 First-class and 01 Second-class); 03 of its units have been honoured with the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces, among many other noble awards. This helps build its tradition of "Solidarity, discipline; courage and resilience; overcoming difficulties; mastering the sea; determining to fight, and determining to win".

Maintaining combat readiness at Regiment 171

It is forecasted that in the coming years, the situation in the East Sea and the Southwestern Sea will continue to see complicated situations, with potential unpredictable risks. Foreign countries tend to increase their military presence and resource exploration and exploitation activities, etc., posing more challenges on the task of managing and protecting sovereignty over seas and islands. To cope with that situation, the Region will continue to deploy all aspects of work thoroughly, focusing on building all strong, "exemplary and typical" units, creating a foundation to improve its overall quality, combat power, and meeting the requirements and tasks of protecting the sovereignty of sea and island in all situations.

First of all, the Region’s Party Committee and Command pay regular attention to building politically strong units and identify this as a prerequisite and decisive content. This issue is even more important as the situation in the waters under the Region’s responsibility is becoming more and more complicated; its officers and soldiers perform their tasks independently on long days at sea in dangerous and stormy conditions. They often have to stay far away from their families, while their family conditions are still in difficulty, etc. To make it effective, the Party Committee and the Command of the Region focus on promoting political education and ideological management, focusing on strengthening party and political work, effectively implementing Directive No. 2423-CT/QUTW, dated 09 November 2023 of the Standing Committee of the Central Military Commission "On innovating and improving the quality of political education in the new period". The Region requires its agencies and units to focus on thoroughly briefing and educating the Party's military and defence guidelines, especially the 8th  Central Resolution of the Party (13th tenure) on the Strategy for Fatherland protection in the new situation; Vietnam Sea Strategy; thoroughly briefing the tasks of the Navy and the Region,... thereby making its officers and soldiers deeply aware of the Party and State's guidelines and policies regarding the East Sea; the position and importance of the sea and islands and the task of protecting sovereignty over the sea and islands in the new situation as well as the honour and responsibility of the Naval soldiers. At the same time, it strengthens education on the tradition and qualities of "Uncle Ho's Soldiers - Naval Soldiers", thereby nurturing their will to overcome difficulties, making them stay alert to all plots and tricks of hostile forces, especially actions that violate the sovereignty of the country's waters, islands, and continental shelf. Currently, facing the multi-dimensional impact of the market mechanism and social networks, etc. on the lives of soldiers, the Region requires its agencies and units to effectively carry out the work of information, propaganda, and ideological orientation, especially when dealing with sensitive and complex issues; proactively fight against the internal "self-evolution" and "self-transformation". Its cadres at all levels strictly implements the motto: "close to the soldiers, understand the soldiers, trust the soldiers"; maintain high solidarity and unity in the unit; proactively detect and promptly resolve negative thoughts. Along with that, the Region’s Party Committee continues to pay attention to improving the leadership capacity and overall quality of grassroots party organisations and the quality of cadres and party members; upholding the principles of democratic centralism, collective leadership and individual accountability; strengthening inspection and supervision to improve the leadership capacity of party committees and organisations at all levels, creating a foundation for building strong units in politics.

In order to realise the goal of "lean, compact, strong", the Region promotes the consolidation of structural organisation; improves the quality of training and combat readiness. Accordingly, the Region continues to conduct restructuring its organisation, ensuring sufficient numbers of troops, weapons, and technical equipment for units performing combat readiness and forces on duty on DK1 platforms. At the same time, it promotes the implementation of Resolution No. 1659-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022 of the Central Military Commission; Resolution No. 1378-NQ/DU, dated 30 March 2023 of the Navy’s Party Committee and Resolution No. 1069-NQ/DU, dated 11 May 2023 of the Regional Party Committee on "Improving the quality of training during in the 2023 - 2030 period and beyond" with practical targets and measures, suitable to the subjects and characteristics of the area, sea and island. In training, the Region requires its units to adhere to the motto of "basic, practical, solid"; attach importance to synchronous, intensive training, relevant to combat practice. The region strives that every year, its units fulfil 100% of training contents with satisfaction or higher levels, in which 85% or more are rated good or excellent. Moreover, it continues to direct and conduct drills and live-fire exercises, taking the task of firmly protecting the sovereignty of the sea, islands, and continental shelf of the Fatherland as the highest goal.

Along with continuing to improve the quality of training, the Region maintains combat readiness regime seriously with special attention being paid to patrol ships on duty at sea, DK1 platforms, stations, forces and vehicles at the wharf. To deal with the risk of complexity and instability in the East Sea, the Region strengthens control and grasps the situation at sea and in the air to advise and propose responsive measures for effectively fighting against acts of infringement on our sea areas, firmly protecting the sovereignty of the seas under its responsibility and protecting marine economic activities. At the same time, it continues to focus on "Improving the capacity and effectiveness in controlling and managing sea areas and advising and proposing policies and solutions to firmly protect sea and island sovereignty and national interests at sea" . Regularly review, adjust and supplement combat plans and conduct training to improve the level of command, coordination and combat of forces. Closely coordinate with friendly forces to maintain political security, order and social safety in the area; mobilise forces and means according to BM, BV and CH plans, contributing to strengthening potential, build a solid national defence posture and a strong people's security posture at sea.

Discipline builds up the strength of the Military. This is even more important for the Navy, as they have to operate in a specific environment. Therefore, the Region continues to promote the implementation of Resolution No. 1683-NQ/DUQC, dated 09 June 2020 of the Navy’s Party Committee on "Strengthening regularity building, discipline management, and safety assurance, meeting task requirements in the new situation". Besides, it requires its agencies and units to work according to their responsibilities and act according to orders; its officers and commanders to actively follow the soldiers, enhance education to build soldiers' self-awareness in observing State law, discipline, regimes and regulations of the Military, especially regulations for handling situations at sea. Moreover, it strictly maintains the living, studying, and working regimes; strictly manages the number of troops, weapons, and equipment. Its agencies and units have associated regularity building and discipline training with building cultural environments and barracks towards "regular, green, clean, and scenic" direction so that the officers and soldiers feel more affectionate and stick to their unit, thereby minimising the case of violating State law or serious discipline. As a result, the rate of normal disciplinary violations in the Region has been kept at less than 0.3%.

As a force built towards modernity, the Region pays special attention to improving the quality of logistics and technical work, especially ensuring technical supplies for combat-ready duty forces, the ships, platforms performing long-day missions at sea. In particular, it strives to ensure sufficient quantity and quality of ships, vehicles, weapons, and technical equipment, especially for combat ship brigades; accelerates the modernisation of combat ships as planned, further improves the overall quality and combat power of the Region, meeting the requirements of the tasks of firmly managing and protecting the sovereignty of the sacred seas, islands, and continental shelves of the country.

Rear Admiral NGUYEN ANH TUAN, Commander of the Region