Recognising the particular importance of training in improving the overall quality and combat power of the Tank and Armoured troops - the VPA’s main assault force, over the past years, the Tank and Armoured Corps’ Party Committee and High Command have focused on leadership and direction over the comprehensive renewal of the work and achieved positive results.

Over the past years, along with promoting the consolidation of its structure towards “streamlined, compact, strong” direction, the Tank and Armoured Corps has paid special attention to leading and directing the renewal of combat training pursuant to Resolution No.765-NQ/QUTW issued on December 20^th, 2012 of the Central Military Commission. The renewal has also been identified as a breakthrough in improving its overall quality and combat strength to ensure the Corps’ excellent completion of all assigned task to be worthy of the VPA’s main assault force and meet the requirements of protecting the Fatherland.

Despite multiple difficulties, thanks to high determination and drastic and synchronous undertakings and solutions, the Corps has achieved comprehensive and solid results in training. Especially in 2020, facing the complicated developments of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Corps has directed subordinate agencies and units to adjust their time schedules, programs, and forms of training in a scientific way to ensure the “dual” goal of good training - effective prevention and control of the pandemic. With the efforts of the entire Corps, over the past years, the results of cadre and troop’s training have always been 100% satisfactory, of which over 85% are good and very good. Notably, the Corps’ tank team won the Silver Medal in the Army Games 2019 and Gold Medal in the Army Games 2020, which were highly appreciated by the Party, State, People, and international friends.

VPA's tank in the Army Games 2020

Currently, the increasingly high tasks of building the Army, consolidating the national defence, and protecting the Fatherland are challenging the Corps with difficult objectives and requirements in combat training. Being fully aware of the situation, its functions and assigned tasks, the Corps’ Party Committee and High Command have determined to continue the comprehensive implementation of the contents and measures with a breakthrough in renewing and further improving training quality to create an important change in the level of combat readiness and combat power towards building a comprehensively strong and “exemplary, typical” Corps, thereby promoting the tradition of “Winning all battles” in the new situation.

To realise its objectives, the Corps has deeply grasped the defence and military policies of the Party and resolutions and directives of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence on training work, particularly Conclusion No.60-KL/TW issued on January 18^th, 2019 by the Central Military Commission on continuing the implementation of Resolution No.765-NQ/QUTW, with focus on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of leadership and direction of the Party committees and commanders at all levels over the training tasks. Accordingly, the Corp has concretised the training objectives and targets into the Resolution of the 11^th Congress of the Corps’ Party Committee, the leadership resolutions of the 2020-2025 term of the Party committees of the units, and Resolution No.438-NQ/ĐU of the Corps’ Party Committee on “Improving the training quality in the period of 2013 - 2020 and beyond”. It has also directed the review and supplementation of leadership regulations and thematic resolutions on training work at all levels. Together with prioritising the renewal and improvement of the quality of leadership and direction, and upholding the role and sense of responsibility of the Party commissioners, commanders, commissars, and political officers, the Corps has required its subordinate agencies and units to improve the political and ideological education, the quality of the Party and political work, and maintain and promote the Determine-to-Win Emulation movement, “Excellent Training Unit” building, etc. Thereby, its cadres and soldiers have been fully aware of the importance of training and had right motivation and high sense of responsibility.

To create a comprehensive and solid change in training, the Corps has instructed its Staff Department to actively stick to the practice, research, and perfect the mechanism of training management, direction, and administration pursuant to Resolution. No.765-NQ/QUTW of the Central Military Commission towards “centralised, unified, synchronised, effective and efficient” direction with clear determination of responsibilities of agencies and units and strict implementation of decentralisation in training management, direction, and administration. It has well promoted the role of training advisory agencies at all levels in advising, direction, and administration and that of political, logistic, and technical agencies in coordination in training planning and program development. It has also enhanced the application of information technology in management, administration, and practice of training and actively renewed the organisational forms and methods of inspection towards increasing irregular inspection, substantially assessing training results, promptly drawing experiences, and taking measures to overcome limitations and striving to complete training contents and programs with the highest quality and efficiency.

In response to the requirements of the task of Fatherland protection in the new situation, in recent years, the Tank and Armoured force in the whole Army has seen new developments and been equipped with a number of new and modern materiel. To meet the requirements of the tasks, the Corps continues promoting research and renewal of the contents, organisation form, and methods of training and drills. Following the direction of Resolution No.765-NQ/QUTW and Military and Defence Work Order of the Chief of the General Staff, the Corps continues studying to complete the Project on renewing and improving the training quality with focus on the organisational, commanding, and directing capacity of commanders and agencies and the ability of cadres, technical staff, and tank and armoured crew members to master existing weapons and technical equipment as well as new weapons and equipment. To achieve the set objectives, the Corps continues promoting the renewal of training contents and forms towards practicality, efficiency, and relevance to reality of combat, combat subjects and suitable for each level and sector, existing weapons and equipment, and the development of science, technology, military engineering, and tank and armoured combat art in war conditions under which the enemies use high-tech weapons. It also continues adhering to the motto of “Basics, practicality, and firmness” to carry out comprehensive but focused, synchronous, and specialised training, considering technical training as the basis, specialised tactical training as the center, and cadre training as the key. In particular, importance has been attached to raising the level of exploitation and use of new weapons and equipment and the ability to cooperate with other forces and creatively apply combat forms and methods to bring into full play the assaulting power and mobility of tanks and armoured vehicles.

Learning from practice, especially through the review of 5 years of implementing Resolution No.765-NQ/QUTW, the Corps continues directing the combination in all aspects, including: training with practice and drills; military training with political education and discipline fostering; education and training with combat training; and traditional training with modern training; increasing field training, night training, and training on mastery, exploitation, and use; and developing soldiers’ belief in the existing art of war, existing weapons and equipment, etc. its schools promote the implementation of the Project 63 on renewing training processes and programs for Tank and Armoured Officers at tertiary level and training for non-commissioned commanding officers, technicians, crew members, repairmen,… to meet the requirements of building the Tank and Armoured force in the new situation.

As a technical and combat corps, it has always attached great importance to doing well in training assurance, especially in improving the quality of technical and logistics supplies. In particular, the Corps continues promoting the synchronisation of weapons and technical equipment; completing the planning and investment in the construction and upgrading of training and combat readiness works, lecture halls, and training fields in the 2016-2020 period; effectively managing, exploiting, and using materials and information technology equipment in advisory command, management, and administration of training; accelerates the research and completion of  training curriculum and materials and research, design, manufacture, and transfer of tank crew training simulation equipment and new-generation weapons and supplies; and continues to coordinate and propose to upgrade and develop planning for the construction of training fields and shooting ranges for tanks to meet the requirements of combat training tasks of the Corps and the Tank and Armoured force of the entire Army in the immediate and long terms.

Senior Colonel HO VIET TRUONG, Deputy Commander, Chief of Staff of the Corps