Training new recruits is a task of paramount importance, directly contributing to improving comprehensive quality and combat power of the Army in general and of units in particular. Being fully aware of this, the Party Committee and commanders of Division 2 (hereafter the Division) under the Military Region 5 have always focused their leadership and direction on the implementation of this crucial task with many practical guidelines and solutions.

The outstanding feature that governs the Division’s new recruit training results is the vast recruitment area (receiving new recruits from 11 provinces and cities within the Central Region and Central Highlands with different education backgrounds; about 40% of them are ethnic minorities). Meanwhile, the goals and requirements are of very high level. Given that fact, the Division has strengthened its all-level party committees and commanders’ leadership and direction on this task. At the same time, a leading resolution has been issued at the service of carrying out the task of receiving and training new recruits and directing units to develop their resolutions and action plans. In the process, the Division has assigned specific responsibilities to each party committee member and commander for directly supervising, directing, inspecting and urging the implementation of agencies and units with the emphasis placed on weaknesses and units facing difficulties. The work of political and ideological education has been highly valued and promoted in order to render all cadres and soldiers fully aware of the position and significance of new recruit training task, and the training content, criteria, and requirements as well as difficulties and challenges. By this way, it has achieved a sense of unity between awareness and action and built strong determination and high responsibility for cadres and troops, especially ones at units directly in charge of training new recruits to overcome difficulties and fulfil all the assigned tasks. In parallel with that, the Division has also directed its agencies and units to intensify the inspection and supervision work so as to opportunely detect and rectify shortcomings. In recent years, despite the fact that the troop selection and call-up have been assigned to localities to conduct, the Division has actively cooperated with the localities in figuring out troop resources and advising them to eliminate cases of ineligibility right at the beginning. To that end, the Division has conducted the new recruit penetration and reception in 3 following steps: first, the Division considers recruit dossiers before the localities issue the conscription (about 1.5 month before receiving troops); second, the Division’s regiments sent cadres to the localities to set the troop strength (about half a month before receiving troops); third, the Division dispatches its officers to cooperate with localities in examining issues related to the number of new recruits, doing preparation work, and then organizing troop reception (about 05-07 days before the enlistment day). Thanks to that, the quality of the Division’s new recruits has been raised.

New recruit training is the first step to form a basis for developing military skills, qualities and willpower of revolutionary soldiers. Moreover, based on its practical training experience for many years, the Division has proactively prepared the training work well in all aspects, including cadre training, plan and programme formulation, lesson plan approval, and material and ground preparation. In particular, cadre training and cultivation has been considered as the core. Prior to each new recruit training course, the Division has sent its cadres to attend training courses organized by the Military Region 5 and then carried out the training for its personnel at each level. The training focuses have been placed on heightening cadres’ managing and commanding capabilities, training methods, ensuring accuracy, science, and suitability for new recruits. There has emerged a new feature of the Division’s cadre training in recent years that 100% of squad and platoon level cadres have chance to practice AK shooting, grenade throwing, explosive denotation, and receive in-depth knowledge about grasping and resolving troops’ ideological issues. In terms of methodology, the Division has followed the motto that superiors train inferiors, and experienced ones train young graduates.

During the training process, the Division has ordered the units to stay close to the motto of “basics, practicality, and sustainability”. The units have properly gone through training process, especially practical subjects, ensuring the training from simple to complex along with the combination of theory and practice. Due regard has been paid to providing training scientifically in conformity with segmented exercises. The Division’s cadres have managed to stringently maintain training regularity, make the best use of the time to correct each soldier’s inaccuracies, especially ones with regard to the infantry shooting techniques, grenade throwing, and obstacle overcoming. At the same time, significance has been attached to strictly abiding by regulations and rules to ensure safety in training, especially in the tactical training and the practice of “3- explosion” testing. The competitions on daily, weekly, and monthly bases have been maintained in a regular manner of holding platoon, company, and battalion level competitions to review training result after each training day, week, and month respectively.

Along with that, the Division has well implemented political and ideological education work; closely combined political education with law propagation, dissemination and education; and training with discipline maintenance and regularity building. Immediately after receiving new recruits, in addition to quickly stabilizing the organization and accommodation, the Division has strengthened its dissemination to make new recruits thoroughly grasp unit’s tasks and regulations; strictly stuck to political education plan with the focus on educating tradition and qualities of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” and propagating the previous year’s results of training recruits in order to raise soldiers’ honour, pride, and responsibility. Simultaneously, due regard has been paid to harmonizing relationships and creating friendly atmosphere between cadres and soldiers, soldiers and soldiers. In particular, the work of understanding, managing and resolving the issues regarding new recruits’ ideology has been highly valued and carried out with many practical and effective measures, focusing on ethnic minority soldiers. Right after new recruit reception, the Division’s commanders and agencies at all levels have set up a “Troop Profile” including the information of soldiers’ personal hobbies, forte and aspirations. In the training process, the units have promoted the role of 3-person group and protective soldier system to have a thorough understanding of soldiers’ thought so as to take appropriate educational and persuasive measures. Moreover, consideration has been given to effectively exercising party and ideological work activities in training, such as: the exchanges  “Honour and proud to be Viet Nam People’s Army’s soldiers”, “Comrade Arms”, “Soldier Birthday”, “Youth Forum” and so forth, creating favourable conditions for new recruits to familiarize and adapt to military environment. Also, the Division has strengthened the work of discipline management and regularity maintenance so that new recruits have been able to become familiar with the military environment. To do so, the Division has required its cadres, especially squad and platoon level cadres to make exemplary models in their life, study and training via specific actions to educate and guide the soldiers to have sense of self-discipline. In the meanwhile, great value has been attached to cooperating with localities and soldiers’ families in recruits’ management and education. The Division’s companies, battalions created favourable conditions for new recruits’ families to visit their children or relatives on holidays, while cooperating with the families in taking measures to encourage and educate new soldiers, especially those in difficulties.

Along with the above measures, the Division’s Party Committee and commanders have paid attention to leading, directing and well executing the work of new recruits’ material and spiritual life assurance and enhancement, creating synergy and aiming to well accomplish the task of training new soldiers. Following the motto “all for the new recruits”, the Division has directed units to give priority to ensuring the best living conditions for new soldiers. The logistics work for troop life has been greatly valued, ensuring soldiers’ healthy meals. The military medical units at all levels have intensified propagation and guidance on disease and epidemic prevention and environmental sanitation. Meanwhile, the Division has stayed close to all soldiers’ activities, opportunely visited and provided soldiers treatment when they have health problems.

Thanks to synchronous active measures, over the past years, the Division’s results of new recruit training have always been rated good and distinction. There have been no cases of desertion, unpermitted absence or serious disciplinary violation in training units. This is the foundation as well as stable preparation step for building a strong unit and successfully complete all assigned tasks.

Grounded on the new recruit training practice, the Division has drawn some lessons as follows.

First, doing well the education work, raising cadres and soldiers’ awareness and responsibility for the task of training new recruits, developing willpower and determination to overcome difficulties, and striving to well complete all assigned tasks.

Second, strengthening the leadership and direction of all-level party committees and commanders over the task of receiving and training new soldiers; attaching importance to consolidating, fostering and promoting the exemplary role and responsibility of the contingent of cadres at all levels, especially those who directly involve in new recruit training.

Third, making comprehensive preparations; carrying out “basic, practical, and sustainable” training, combining military training with political education, discipline management, and regularity building.

Fourth, taking care of soldiers’ material and spiritual life; ensuring rights, regimes and policies for soldiers and their families; well performing the Army Rear policy.

Fifth, closely cooperating with local Party Committees, authorities within the area of responsibility and soldiers’ families in new recruit encouragement, management, education and training.

The Division has been bringing into full play the afore-mentioned lessons with the determination to well accomplish the recruit training task in 2019.

Sr. Col. Nguyen Quoc Huong, Commander of the Division