Thoroughly grasping their assigned functions and tasks, Brigade 171, under 2nd Naval Region, has been continuously improving the quality of training and combat readiness, contributing with other forces to firmly protecting the sovereignty over seas, islands and continental shelf in the South of the Fatherland.
In recent years, Brigade 171 has been implementing its tasks while being adjusted towards the “elite, compact, strong” way; equipped with many types of modern weapons, equipment and vehicles which help improve its strength and capability of combat readiness. However, the task of protecting the sovereignty over seas and islands has set high demands and posed many difficulties and challenges, especially when many countries have imposed their subjective restrictions, increased their force presence, enhanced the “grey zone tactics” in the East Sea, etc. In this situation, the Brigade has implemented comprehensively all work with their drastic leading and directing policies and methods, and high determination, focusing on improving the quality of training and combat readiness as the foundation to improve the overall quality and combat strength, and successfully accomplish the assigned tasks.
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| Practising on board combat |
On implementing the above policy, at first, the Brigade pays attention to improving the efficiency and effect of the leadership by all-level party committees and commands, building the high determination for cadres and soldiers on the training and combat readiness tasks. Accordingly, it thoroughly grasps the military, defence viewpoints and guidelines of the Party, and directives, resolutions and orders on training and combat readiness, at the same time, directs offices and units to strengthen the leadership and direction of all-level party committees, party organisations and commands on the training work; intensely innovates and improves the leadership and direction quality of the party committees, commands, commissars and junior commissars, and promotes the spiritual-political education, creating the unity of knowledge and actions in the entire unit for this “main and regular” political task. Based on the seniors’ instructions, all units have issued the specialised resolution on leading the training work, and suitably concretising the defined goals and solutions. To improve the training quality, the Brigade has focused their leadership on remedying the shortcomings and weaknesses, promoting breakthroughs in key issues such as strengthening and improving the cadres’ capability, especially the ones in the technical and tactic training frames; building the regular and scientific training programmes, plans and schedules; improving the quality of lesson plans and lectures; maintained the safety precautions; adjusting, completing and well training all combat readiness plans; strictly maintaining the troops on duty, on patrol and on the watch; well preparing the training grounds, weapons, equipment and learning tools. It has also enhanced inspection and speedup of the implementation, completely eliminated any expressions of relaxed leadership, the spirit of satisfaction and conservativeness, any hesitation of hardships, and the “credit mania” in training and combat readiness.
Executing the tasks of training and combat readiness in marine environments with extreme weather conditions requires soldiers to have high will and determination and strong spirit. Hence, the Brigade has enhanced the education and task grasp, information, propaganda on the position, meanings, goals and requirements of the training and combat readiness, and the advantages and disadvantages as well. At the same time, it effectively implemented the party and political work in training, especially the promotion of emulation movements combined with the Campaign of Promoting traditions, devoting talents, deserving to be “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers – Naval Soldiers” in the new period; well carried out all measures in the Determined to win Emulation movement, especially the culminating emulation in each training period or combat readiness duty. Accordingly, 100% of its cadres and soldiers have a sufficient awareness of training and combat readiness task; trust of weapons, equipment, military art and combat tactics of Naval soldiers, so they have proactively overcome any difficulties to perform active training, creating the quality changes in the training and combat readiness.
To meet the demand for firmly protecting the sovereignty over seas, islands and continental shelf of the country, the Brigade has led and directed all offices and units to seriously implement the “Basic, practical, solid” motto; meanwhile, concretised the defined training goals, i.e. “Being basic, master and intensive in exploiting and using weapons and technical equipment”. In training cadres, it has paid attention to weaknesses and new contents being related to their responsibilities and tasks including the direction, management, consultation and organisation of training; the coordination in patrol, combat readiness, search and rescue; skills of exploiting and operating ships and types of weapons and technical equipment under the instructions of sector cadres, asking experienced cadres to train younger ones; through which, the training knowledge, competence and methods of cadres, the newly-graduated ones in particular, have been dramatically improved. In training units, it has focused on the functions, technical and tactical features and constructing parts of ships; combat formulation and daily routines on board; voyages and combat at sea; the protection of ships, the prevention of weapons of mass destruction; rules of operation on board, etc. In specialised training, it has prioritised the training and exploitation of weapons and equipment, and intensive training of fighting formation, etc. For technical staff, it has focused on training the acts and skills of exploiting, using, handling, repairing and maintaining machines, weapons and equipment, the new weapons and equipment in particular.
Together, the Brigade has paid attention to promoting the innovation of training methods suitably with learners and session; closely combined the knowledge transmission with the education and spread of fighting experience, theories with practice; enhance practical training, night training and training in various and extreme weather conditions with the opponents using high-tech weapons; combined training with doing the task of patrolling, managing and protecting the assigned sea areas. Meanwhile, it has promoted training through military exercises, helping cadres to fully understand the stages of combat preparation and practice, and soldiers to be skilful in the fighting actions and coordination plans, and well handle all situations. With such proper methods, the Brigade has completed all annual training plans and programmes with the results of training, at-sea live firing and exercises being good and excellent, and absolute safety. The combat skills and capability of handling weapons and technical equipment of its cadres, staff and soldiers have been gradually improved, meeting the higher requirements of the tasks.
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| Launching torpedo |
Together with training, the Brigade has paid special attention to combat readiness, considering it as the great mission and honour of the “Naval Soldiers”. To gain good results, it has proactively made research and thoroughly grasped the situation, tasks, directions, goals, viewpoints, mottos and leading principles in protecting the sovereignty over seas and islands, and finding the measures to solve conflicts at sea, as the foundation to figure out the contents and methods for solving all situations within the assigned jurisdiction. On this basis, it has strictly maintained discipline, regulations and duty of combat readiness at all levels, assuring the synchronicity of personnel, materials, weapons, equipment and vehicles, concurrently inspected and completed the operation plans, making them suitable with the development of situations and task requirements, being the basis to conduct training and exercises, improve the commanding and coordinating ability for commanding officers at all levels, and the combat readiness capability for soldiers. To avoid any passiveness with the complicated situations at sea, the Brigade has proactively coordinated with the local party committees, governments and other forces to investigate and hold the entire situations, timely make reports and propose plans to patrol, control and solve any arising problems, firmly protecting the sovereignty, peaceful and stable environment at sea, at the same time, been ready for doing the tasks of preventing the natural disasters, search and rescue, making fishermen fell secure to stay in the fishing grounds.
In parallel with that, the Brigade has appreciated the support for the tasks of training and combat readiness, especially the logistic-technical support. To perform this task successfully, its Logistic-technical Department has enhanced the insourcing, strictly maintained the working rules and discipline; assured the echelon in support combined with the strict management of usage. The Department has stored enough logistic-technical materials and vehicles for combat readiness as scheduled, prioritising units doing their tasks at sea; proactively built plans of logistic-technical support for ships heading for tasks. For the regular logistic support, the Brigade has promoted the production in a sustainable and close way; intensely processed and raised the quality of meals, taken care and improved soldiers’ health, meeting the requirements of training and combat readiness capacity in longer time at sea. Together with logistic support, it has attached much importance to the storage, maintenance, repairs and extended expiry of weapons and technical equipment, combined the regular check with sudden inspection; effectively maintained all criteria of building the “Regular and exemplary ships”. In recent years, it has well carried out the breaking stage of “Building the regularity and mastering the technical equipment” combined with the Campaign on “Managing, exploiting and using weapons and technical equipment effectively, sustainably, safely, economically, and traffic safety”; coordinated with the functional organs of the Region to organise further training to improve the knowledge and skills of using technical equipment for technicians, bring into play the roles of mobile repair groups, etc. meanwhile, promoted the application of technical topics and initiatives into managing, exploiting, using, maintaining and improving the working efficiency and the reliability of technical equipment, meeting the requirements of training and combined operation readiness when there is a situation.
With the synchronous implementation of the above solutions, Brigade 171 has regularly accomplished their tasks of training and combat readiness with the overall quality and combat power having been gradually improved. For many years, it has been awarded the title of “Excellent training unit”, Emulation Flag in the Determined to win emulation movement at the Defence Ministry level (2023, 2024); the title of “Excellent unit in protecting seas and islands within the Navy Service” (2024). These results and experience are precious lessons for the Brigade to continuously promote the innovation, highly improve the quality of training and combat readiness in order to stay strong in the “front lines”, with other forces to firmly protect the sovereignty over seas, islands and continental shelf in the South of the Fatherland.
Senior Colonel LE THANH BINH, Brigade Commander