The 1^st Naval Region is tasked with training, combat readiness, patrol, management, and protection of the northern waters of the country. In recent years, given the complicated developments in the East Sea, the Region's missions continue to grow with increasingly higher and more complex requirements on combat readiness. Meanwhile, in addition to degraded and asynchronous weapons and technical equipment, there are still many difficulties in terms of facilities, training fields, and barracks, and many of its forces often operate long time on sea. In order to successfully complete the assigned tasks, the Region Party Committee and Command have focused on comprehensive implementation of all aspects of work.  In particular, building comprehensively strong units has always been led and directed by the Party Committee and commanders at all levels with several synchronous, practical, and effective solutions. As a result, the Region's officials and soldiers are always united, politically steadfast, and highly determined; its overall quality and its level of combat readiness have been increasingly improved, contributing to managing, protecting, and maintaining stability in the assigned waters. The aspects of logistics, technique, disciplinary management, and regularity building have seen deep and solid developments.

Commanders of the Region visit the 490 Radar Station

To obtain those results, first of all, the Region has focused on building political and ideological strength. Determining that this is the most important content, the Region Party Committee and Command have focused on leading and directing to well implement the political and ideological education, grasp the tasks, and raise the awareness, sense of responsibility, and spirit of overcoming difficulties and striving to fulfill all assigned tasks to officials and soldiers. The educational contents are comprehensive, ranging from the Party's military and national defense views and lines and Fatherland protection; tasks of the Army, Service, and Region in the new situation; and complicated situation in the East Sea and our mode of struggle to awareness about partners, adversary, conspiracies and tricks of "self-evolution", "self-transformation", "depoliticization", and "civilization" of the Army of the hostile forces, etc. In order to improve the quality and effectiveness of political education, the Region has seriously implemented the Project on "Renovating political education at the units in the new stage" with many synchronous and scientific measures. Along with that, the Region has focused on well implementing "3 models and 4 determinations" in implementing the Party and political work. The Region has also closely combined basic education with task-based regular education and traditional and legal education with the sea and island propaganda. At the same time, the Region has "Promoted learning and following Ho Chi Minh thought, ethics, and style" in association with the Drive entitled "Promoting tradition, dedicating talents, deserving to be Uncle Ho's Soldiers and the Navy Soldiers". Individuals and collectives with outstanding achievements have been promptly rewarded and honored, that have motivated officials and soldiers to strive to train, raise their awareness and political responsibility to be ready to receive and complete all assigned tasks.

In response to the development of requirements and tasks of managing and protecting the sovereignty over sea and islands of the Fatherland, the Region has paid much attention to improving the quality of training and level of combat readiness. On the basis of thoroughly grasping Resolution No.765-NQ/QUTW of the Central Military Commission and Resolution No.1050-NQ/ĐQQC of the Service Party Committee on "Improving the training quality in the period of 2013-2020 and beyond", the Region Party Committee and Command has focused on leading and directing training agencies and units under the motto of "basic, practical, and firm". Importance should be attached to comprehensive and intensive training and practical training. Training should be close to plans, operational objects, battlefields, staffing, and technical equipment and weapons. The tasks of protecting the sovereignty of sea and islands of the Fatherland and building the Service and Region to be "revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern" should be taken as the training objectives with a breakthrough on "basic training, weapons and technical equipment mastering, and implementation of safety rules". The Region has closely organized training with proper and sufficient content and programs for subjects, including forces on ships and shore and reserve groups. The Region has also organized and participated in training courses and field trips in order to raise the level and ability of coordination and cooperation among ships and fleets, between on-board forces and those on shore, and between the Region's forces and other forces inside and outside the Service. At the same time, the Region has also participated in training, drills, and patrols with the Naval forces of countries in and outside the region under the direction of the Service.

Along with that, the Region has actively implemented measures to raise the level and combat readiness. In order to do this, along with grasping the superiors’ instructions, orders, and plans and raising vigilance and sense of combat readiness, the Region Command has directed agencies and units to strictly maintain the rules, regimes, forces, and means of combat readiness at all levels, regularly research and supplement the system of short and long-term combat documents, and proactively cooperate and coordinate with other forces (Coast Guard, Border Guard, Air Defence - Air Forces, Fisheries Resources Surveillance, and local maritime self-defense forces) to firmly grasp the situation in the air, sea, and localities. Then, timely, situations have been handled timely, effectively, and legally without being passive and unexpected, that have created a basis for the Region to always fulfill the task of firmly managing and protecting the sovereignty assigned waters and islands as well as the unit's garrisoning location.

The Region Command has been constantly interested in the work of regularity construction and discipline training, which has contributed to completing all assigned tasks. With the motto of good implementation of "2 forecasts and 3 No", the Region has implemented measures for grasping and raising the sense of self-awareness and responsibility of each soldier in the observance of the State’s law, the Army’s disciplines, orders, rules, and regulations and strictly maintained the daily and weekly routines, of which the results of regularity construction and discipline training have been associated with the responsibilities of leaders and commanders at all levels. Accordingly, there have been many progressive changes in regularity construction and discipline training of the Region without serious cases to be handled; meanwhile, the common violations of discipline have been reduced, and the unit has been absolutely safe.

Along with that, the work of technical and logistics assurance for the missions has also been directed by the Region Command. As the unit is equipped with a variety of weapons and technical equipment, including those have been degraded and asynchronous, but they are still operated in harsh environment, the technical assurance is of utmost importance to the accomplishment of the Region's tasks. In order to ensure this work well, the Region has well implemented the contents of two breakthrough stages of the Service, including "building the technical routines and mastering the weapons and technical equipment"; maintained the models of "regular and exemplary ships" and "sample stations and warehouse"; and enhanced the movement to promote technical improvement initiatives and improve repairing capacity of technical stations, workshops, and centers. At the same time, the Region has well implemented the Drive 50 and maintained the "Technical Day" routine and the regime of storage and maintenance; regularly organized and participated in ship, vehicle, warehouse, an station competitions and contests at all levels; and promoted all resources to ensure sufficient and timely quantity and quality of synchronous ships, vehicles, weapons, equipment, supplies, and technical facilities for tasks, especially combat readiness and management and protection of sea and island sovereignty.

For logistics work, the Region has promoted the movement of "Military Logistics Branch follows Uncle Ho's teachings" and continues to make a breakthrough into "material and funding management and regularity construction in the logistics branch" to ensure full and timely logistics supply in all aspects for regular tasks, training, combat readiness, especially long-term missions at sea and actively participate in food production to improve the life of soldiers. In addition, the Region has strictly managed to avoid loss and waste of petrol, oil, electricity, water, budget, and properties and promoted resources to consolidate and build unit barracks. Besides, the Region has directed the Military Medical sector at all levels to perform well the task of food safety and hygiene management, disease prevention, health care, and periodic health examination for the soldiers to ensure the rate of healthy troops of over 99% to be ready to perform the tasks.

The above results are an important basis for the 1^st Naval Region to continue to focus on building comprehensive strength in the coming time to fulfill all assigned tasks, contributing firmly managing and protecting the sovereignty over sea and islands of the Fatherland in all situations.

Senior Colonel Nguyen Viet Khanh, Region Commander