In response to the new requirements of protecting national sovereignty over seas and islands, cadres and soldiers of Brigade 679, Naval Region 1 have been devoting their efforts to mastering modern weaponry and raising their combat readiness capacity to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty over the North’s seas and islands.

In recent years, under the Party’s line on building the Naval Service straight to modernity, Brigade 679 has been provided with large investments in personnel, facilities, and weaponry. Notably, the Brigade has been assigned to receive, manage, and use modern surface-to-ship missile systems, marking a new development of the Navy, creating prerequisites for raising its combat strength. However, a part from advantages, the Brigade has been confronted with a lot of challenges and difficulties in managing and running both new and old weapon systems simultaneously due to their strict, complex technical requirements. Against that backdrop, the Brigade’s Party Committee and Command have focused on drastically, synchronously taking various measures to achieve a breakthrough in building an “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong Brigade capable of excellently accomplishing all assigned missions. Between 2019 and 2024, the Brigade was recognised as a comprehensively strong unit; 20% of its affiliates were acknowledged as “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong units; all affiliates in charge of combat duty successfully accomplished their tasks; when taking part in exercises held by the Region and the Service, particularly QC-24 exercise as well as Military Region 3’s defensive exercises, the Brigade always excellently fulfilled its tasks. In 2023 and 2024, it was given the title of Determined to Win Unit by the Service.

Brigade Command inspects the work of weapon maintenance

Currently, more demanding requirements are being imposed on the task of sea and island protection and the building of a “revolutionary, regular, elite, modern” Service. The Brigade’s organisational structure continues to undergo adjustments in a “compact, strong, modern” manner. Thus, the Brigade’s Party Committee and Command have taken synchronised measures to build an “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong Brigade, with special importance attached to realising “three focal points” to keep raising synergy and combat strength and deserve to be an “iron shield” for national sovereignty over seas and islands in all situations.

First, streamlining the organisational structure, remaining politically strong, maintaining high combat readiness.

As a mobile combat force of the Service and the Ministry of National Defence, the Brigade must always be ready to deal with all possible situations. Therefore, the Brigade has adhered to Decision 447/QĐ-TM, dated 23 February 2023, by the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, on “issuing new organisational structure of Brigade 679 under Naval Region 1” and its own tasks as the basis for adjusting its organisational structure in a “compact” way, ensuring synchronicity in terms of personnel and weaponry, maintaining readiness to manoeuvre for all missions when being ordered; priority has been given to units tasked with high-level combat readiness and units provided with new weaponry. It has directed its offices and units to closely, synchronously take steps, with force adjustments as the centre and the consolidation of typically strong party organisations and party committees as the key, particularly within units equipped with new weaponry. At the same time, it has proactively worked with local authorities and relevant units to give advice to the Service and the Region on selecting battlefield projects and combat areas for new weaponry. It has also amended, supplemented, and renewed its combat documents in accordance with strategic defensive posture, its new organisational structure, and the particularities of the seas and islands of its responsibility.

Additionally, the Brigade has enhanced political and ideological education to raise awareness and a sense of responsibility among its cadres and soldiers towards all missions, especially combat readiness. Offices and units have stepped up the execution of Directive 2324-CT/QUTW, dated 9 November 2023, by the Central Military Commission Standing Board on reforming and improving political education in the new era, closely combining regular education with tasks-based education. Great value has been attached to rendering troops fully aware of the Party’s viewpoints and lines on military, defence, and sea and island protection tasks, updated information about sea and island situation, duty regulations, individual responsibilities, and requirements set by training work and mastery of new weaponry. The Brigade has improved the effectiveness of the movement entitled “Youths of Brigade 679 play a pioneering, creative role, remain unity to achieve feats of arms, and firmly protect national sovereignty over seas and islands”, creating a vibrant emulation atmosphere, opportunely guiding troop ideology, ensuring that all troops would have political steadfastness, dedicate themselves to their work, and readily undertake any missions.

Maintaining readiness for combat

Second, holding training courses and exercises relevant to combat realities and projects.

This measure acts as a deciding factor in directly raising the Brigade’s combat power and meeting the increasingly high requirements of sea and island protection. Under higher echelons’ resolutions and guidance on training work, particularly Resolution 602-NQ/ĐU, dated 28 April 2023, by Naval Region 1’s Party Committee on raising the quality of training in the period of 2023 - 2030 and beyond, the Brigade has continued to supplement and perfect training documents, plans, and regulations relevant to its task requirements in each period. Special importance has been attached to standardising training targets and documents for new weaponry to ensure synchronicity and uniformity across the Brigade. Offices and units have organised comprehensive but focalised training courses, with breakthroughs in mastering new weaponry, improving manoeuvrability, and quickly deploying weaponry. The Brigade has also adhered to the motto of “basics, practicality, solidity”, closely holding training courses for its combat teams from basic to advanced levels, from individual training to whole-of-team training, maintaining coordination between combat teams within the Brigade Headquarters. Great weight has been added to drawing lessons, organising discussions after each training session, and promoting collective knowledge in mastering new weaponry. The Brigade has cooperated with competent offices of the Service in holding workshops and completing procedures for using new weaponry appropriate to the particularities of its tasks and the developments of adversaries.

Bringing into play its significant results when taking part in joint exercises between services and corps (i.e. PT-23, QC-24), the Brigade has stepped up research work to draw lessons on utilising tactical and technical features of new weaponry in its training realities relevant to the Navy’s military art and combat methods. It has cooperated with competent offices of the Service in organising exercises on deploying and withdrawing personnel and weaponry on terrains of various types, under harsh weather conditions, and at night-time to guarantee its combat readiness in any situations.

Third, proactively making preparations for manoeuvre and combat under any circumstances.

Being assigned to manage and employ a large number of advanced, modern weapons, and “maintain readiness for manoeuvre when being ordered”, the Brigade must always ensure communication, logistics, and technical support for its tasks in all situations. Therefore, it has always concentrated on consolidating the organisational structure of its combat support forces and improving the task performance of those forces, particularly the logistics - technical support force. Promoting its recorded results, the Brigade has continued consolidating the organisational structure of its Logistics - Technical Office after the merger; its affiliates have been required to review and grasp the strength of the logistics - technical support force as the basis for giving advice to the Brigade on adjusting, supplementing, and perfecting logistics - technical documents, conducting the planning and transfer of technical materials at all levels to meet the requirements of both regular and irregular missions. Due attention has been paid to proposing modes of logistics - technical support relevant to the Brigade’s new organisational structure and tasks, designing projects to construct depots for new weaponry, enhancing regularity building within the Logistics - Technical Sector, executing the Campaign on “managing and using technical equipment effectively, sustainably, safely, economically, and ensuring traffic safety” and the emulation movement entitled “Military Logistics Sector follows Uncle Ho’s teachings”, and actively encouraging the participation of all troops across the Brigade in this important work.

In the process, the Brigade has promoted a sense of responsibility and pioneering role among heads of offices and units, while requiring superiors, commanders, and party members to set good examples for subordinates, units, and the masses to follow. It has provided sufficient weapons and technical equipment for opportunely, effectively settling all situations when being ordered. It has increased patrols, closely managing entries into and departures from its barracks, particularly in days off and rest hours, collaborating with local authorities to grasp situational developments, promptly settle incidents, and build safe, strong stationed areas. In 2025, it will strive to achieve or surpass targets of an “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong unit in logistics and technical terms; the rate of its healthy troops will be over 98.6%; it will fulfil all targets of technical maintenance and guarantee the technical coefficient of its weapons and equipment under regulations to maintain readiness for manoeuvre and combat under any circumstances.

Bringing into play the 46-year-long tradition of construction and maturity (7 June 1979 - 7 June 2025), cadres and soldiers of Brigade 679 will continue remaining unity and uniformity, overcoming all difficulties, and determinedly realising the “three focal points” to keep raising their synergy and combat strength, worthy of an “iron shield” for protecting national sacred sovereignty over seas and islands.

Col. TRAN PHU BINH

Commander of the Brigade