Over sixty years of building, combatting and growth, Tank and Armour soldiers have made many glorious feats of arms, contributing to the victory of the cause of national liberation, building and safeguarding the Homeland. Of all these victories, the one of “Ta May – Lang Vay” has been considered a milestone on the history of the Corps and the Army. Bringing into play its glorious tradition, the Corps’ Party Committee and High Command have been implementing synchronously and firmly solutions on improving the general quality and combat strength to meet the demands for constructing the Army, enhancing the national defence and safeguarding the Homeland.

After nearly 10 years of its establishment, at the end of 1967, the Tank-Armoured Corps was assigned with the mission of cooperating with Division 304 and 325 and some other arms attending Road 9- Khe Sanh Campaign (1968) to directly attack the Ta May base of the Huoi San complex and Lang Vay base of the Ta Con complex. This was the first arms-combined combat of the Tank soldiers attacking the enemy in their fortifications and achieving the glorious victory, making them stunned and terrified. This victory has affirmed the Tank-Armoured forces’ indispensable positions and roles in the operations, especially the large-scale ones with the combination of arms, which are the decisive factor to end the war. At the same time, this has also marked the considerable development of the Tank-Armoured forces; the scientifically fundamental basis to apply the tank-armour art into next campaigns and battles, opening a new development trend on the combined operations with the participation of tank-armoured forces, and opening the page of the Tank-Armoured forces’ glorious tradition of “surely winning, once deployed”.

Tank in the battle of Lang Vei in 1968

Inheriting and bringing into play the Tank-Armoured soldiers’ tradition of “winning the first battle” and in order to meet the requirements for the mission of building the Army, enhancing the national defence and firmly safeguarding the Homeland in the new situation, the Corps’ Party Committee and High Command have been synchronously and drastically policies and solutions on adjusting the forces towards the “elite, compact, strong” direction; reforming and improving the quality of training and education; researching to develop the tank-armour military art; enhancing the discipline management, regularity practice, building the strong and “exemplary and typical” offices and units; making sure the logistics, techniques, etc. and improving the general quality and combat strength, especially focusing on the following contents and solutions.

First and foremost, treasure the construction of the Corps with strong politics, making the basis for the improvement of its overall quality and combat strength. Executive committees and commands of offices, units and schools continue to grasp and implement effectively the resolutions and directions from the seniors and the Corps’ Party Committee and High Command on building the Party; treasure the effective cooperation between the action programmes (plans) on implementing the resolution of all-level Party Congress (in 2023) and the implementation of rules, regulations, organisation rules and the Party’s actions; combine the consolidation and improvement of actions by executive committees, party cells with the proof of organisation roles by commands, commanding officers, the public’s unions, military council according to the merging plans and route of offices, units and schools in and out of the Corps. With the new situation and requirements, the Corps continues to renovate the education contents and forms to cultivate soldiers with the firm political spirit, steel will, being completely loyal to the Homeland, Party, State, People and the Army; fully understand and creatively apply the Party’s viewpoints and policies on military and national defence; believe in our weapons and equipment, the tank-armour operational art; overcome difficulties and challenges, severe environment, bring into play the traditions to successfully accomplish all the assigned missions, at the same time, well carry out the work of emulation and reward, the policies on public relations and interior political protection; promote the solutions on building both pure party cells and completely strong and “exemplary and typical” offices, units and schools, contributing to the improvement of the general quality and combat strength for the Tank-Armoured soldiers.

Secondly, adjust the organisation and workforce in the “elite, compact, strong” direction, meeting the demands for developing the Corps towards modernity. This is a significant and thorough policy by our Party, State, Central Military Commission, Defence Ministry which asks the Arm to thoroughly grasp and seriously implement due to the set plans and routes. Offices, units and schools need to promote the solutions for the Resolution No. 05-NQ/TW, dated 17/01/2022 by the Politburo, Resolution No. 230-NQ/QUTW, dated 02/4/2022 by the Central Military Commission, Plan No. 1228/KH-BQP, dated 25/4/2022 by the Defence Ministry on organising the Vietnam People’s Army in the period of 2021 – 2030 and beyond; the special resolution on “leading the organisation of the Tank and Armour Corps in the period of 2021-2030, etc.”, combining the adjustment the regular members with the reception of the tank-armoured forces arranged by the Defence Ministry. To make this done, the Corps’ functional office needs to firmly cooperate with the Defence Ministry’s one and directly belonged units and schools to check and grasp the routes and plans of forces adjustment; organise the meetings on politics to popularise for soldiers on goals, viewpoints, rules, missions and methods of combination, transference, reception, etc. On this basis, it is to build the determination and responsibility for implementation; firmly cooperate among components to transfer and receive tasks, making sure the complete safety on personnel, weapons, equipment, vehicles, machines, etc. In the implementation process, it is necessary to be determined, patient and synchronous; avoid the subjectivity, impatience, formalism or relaxation; combine the force adjustment with suitable posture settlement; at once, well carry out the work of spirit, organisation and policies, avoiding affecting the mission results of offices, units and schools but gaining the aim of being “elite, compact” in the system to improve the strength of the Tank-Armoured forces.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh write in the book of tradition of the Tank and Armoured Corps

Thirdly, continue to renovate, improve the quality of training and education, skills and combat readiness ability for the Tank-Armoured soldiers. In order to make complete and firm changes in the training and education, contributing to the improvement of the general quality, combat strength, all-level commands need to focus on leading the renovation of programs, contents, methods of training, management, operation and support. Training contents need to be complete on politics, military, logistics, techniques, etc. in which, it needs to focus on training the techniques of firing, driving, mastering the new equipment; the company-level tank-armour tactics; mobility and night training, protection and firing return; the team attending the International Army Games, etc. In the training process, it needs to creatively and effectively apply viewpoints, mottos, rules and combinations; focus on flexibly adjusting the methods of training and education due to the reality, new operational tasks and improving the quality of examinations, training inspection and re-examinations, contests, especially the international army games in order to affirm the position and strength of the Tank-Armoured soldiers and the Vietnam People’s Army. It is necessary to firmly combine the training with the transmission of combatting traditions, training experience from foreign countries, the tradition of “winning the first battle”; combine the training with the physical practice, disciplines, regularity and building the safe units; promote the IT application, digital transformation in the training management, operation and practice; well maintain the regulations, rules on combat readiness; improve the quality of all-level military exercises, especially the ones with live firing, the antagonistic ones and the ones with forces combination in the condition of modern wars.

Fourthly, research and develop the tank-armour operational art. This factor is extremely important and decisive to the combat strength and victory of the Tank-Armoured soldiers. Consequently, the Corps’ functional offices need to firmly cooperate with schools and units to promote the research and development of the Tank-Armoured soldiers’ operational art, making sure that it is appropriate with the development of the operational subjects; organisation and workforce; new weapons and equipment and the modern skills of several services, arms and forces in the combined forces and the people’s war to safeguard the Homeland. They need to research the methods of camouflage, diversion, mobility skills in the condition that the enemy using high-tech weapons and modern reconnaissance vehicles; methods of increasing the effectiveness on the combination between the units in the Corps with the infantry ones and other arms and services; between the reserved tank-armour forces and the arms, services and forces in the strategic directions; on that basis, advise the Defence Ministry to compose and complete the system of documents, textbooks on the art of using tank-armour forces, organisation, new weapons, vehicles, equipment and unanimously implement within the tank-armour forces in the whole army.

Finally, assure fully, timely and synchronously the technical and logistic work. Based on the 15-year summary of the implementation of the Resolution No. 382-NQ/ĐUQSTW, dated 29/11/2007 by the Central Military Party Committee (now the Central Military Commission) on the technical work, 10 years of implementation of Resolution No. 623-NQ/QUTW, dated 29/10/2012 by the Central Military Commission on the logistics, offices, units, schools completely overcome the pointed weaknesses; continue to research, renovate, improve the quality of the technical and logistic work in the complete way with focuses, making priority on the missions of combat readiness, training, education, exercises, contests and competitions. It is often to assure fully, timely and synchronously the quantity, types and quality of tanks, armoured vehicles; research to innovate weapons, technical equipment; effectively exploit and use the simulation training system on combatting tank crews and the simulated facilities of new weapons and equipment. It is necessary to enhance the renovation, creativity and the improvement of the quality of assurance of logistic work at all levels for all tasks, especially the supply of petrol, the transportation, etc. for the missions of combat readiness and other important and sudden missions; improve the quality of health care, making sure the soldiers’ material and spiritual life; continue to enhance the research, summary of wars to be the scientific basis for the plans on logistic assurance supporting the missions of tank-armour operation in the new situation.

Well implementing the above solutions will directly contribute to the improvement of the general quality, combat strength, making sure that the Tank-Armoured soldiers can successfully accomplish their functions and missions which are the attacking forces of the Vietnam People’s Army, deserve the 55-year tradition of “winning the first battle”.

Major General DO DINH THANH, Commander of the Corps