As a strategic information unit under the Signal Corps, Brigade 596 is responsible for ensuring communication for leadership, command, and direction at all levels in the Southern region. Maintaining the "timely, accurate, confidential, and safe" communication "bloodline" represents a primary command and requirement, requiring the Brigade to solve many problems, with difficulties and challenges.

One of the difficulties is that, the Brigade simultaneously manages and exploits different types of equipment and weapons, both old and modern generations; the system of information networks and equipment need to be repaired, upgraded, and synchronised is huge; specialised technical materials for replacement depend heavily on the manufacturer, etc. Meanwhile, the technical work for this equipment is very challenging with strict requirements; the professional level of the contingent of technical cadres and staff has yet to keep up with the rapid development of technology, etc. In this situation, the Party Committee and Command of the Brigade have focused on the promotion of innovation, improving the quality and effectiveness of technical work, and considered this as an important and decisive content to maintain and best use the existing information system, meeting the requirements of tasks. For the past years, the Brigade has successfully received, installed, mastered and preserved communication equipment according to development requirements; 100% of information incidents have been handled according to decentralisation, with high quality; the repair of equipment, means and weapons managed by the Brigade, as well as support for units in the Southern region, has always been conducted in a timely manner, without backlog. As a result, the communication rate through directions and means of the Brigade has always reached 99.99% (exceeding 0.1%). No error, leak, delay, or loss of information security has been recorded.

General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defence checks the Brigade

The above results are attributed to the fact that the Brigade has synchronously deployed many appropriate solutions to overcome difficulties, improve the quality and effectiveness of technical work, meeting the requirements for implementing the "Strategy for developing the military information and communication system in the 2021 – 2030 period, with a vision towards 2045".

First of all, the Brigade enhances awareness and responsibility of Party committees, commanders at all levels and technical staff for technical work. Regular attention is paid to political and ideological education, thoroughly and widely disseminating resolutions and directives of higher echelons on technical work to the subjects. Emphasis is placed on Resolution No. 1656-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022 of the Central Military Commission on leading technical work until 2030 and the following years. Besides, it promotes the Campaign of Good, durable, safe, economical management and exploitation of weapons and technical equipment and Traffic safety. At the same time, it directs its agencies and units, particularly the Logistics - Technical Department and the Technical Support Centre, to strengthen the education for soldiers about the importance, advantages and difficulties in technical work; the role of technical work to the completion of central political tasks of the units. The goals and targets of technical work are included in the regular leadership resolutions of Party committees at all levels and specified in the work plans of commanders at all levels. Its Party committees and Party cells specify the criteria for studying and following the moral example and style of President Ho Chi Minh associated with Campaign 50 in activities and tasks of technical work. At the same time, they promote emulation movements and models of: "Self-managed communication lines and cables", "5-good communication stations", "Good in theory, excellent in practice, passionate about creativity", "Good expertise, high responsibility, precise skill", etc. As a result, the awareness and responsibility of cadres, staffs and soldiers for technical work have been improved. They have fostered the awareness to preserve and use durably, the spirit of self-reliance, overcome all difficulties, and overcome the mentality of complacency and subjectivity, contributing to making a steady change in the technical work throughout the Brigade.

As technical staff directly decides the quality of technical work, the Brigade pays special attention to the development of this important force with sufficient quantity and high quality, playing as the core in performing technical work. To overcome the imbalance in professions, classes, and skill levels, it has implemented many synchronous measures, such as: reinforcing technical agencies and technical facilities to make them sufficient in quantity, suitable for the working capacity of each officer and employee; adjusting the technical force, with priority being given to the subordinate battalions, the Technical Assurance Centres, and mobile technical teams performing tasks at the border and islands, etc. In order to acquire a highly skilled technical force, along with selecting and sending technical officers and staff to civilian and military academies and schools, and training courses held by the Corps, the Brigade holds intensive training for core technical staff. With the motto of "Basic, practical, solid", it closely combines basic training with specialised group training; attaches importance to applying updates of information technology, telecommunications, and informatics to the assurance of communication systems; combines technical assurance with technical training close to the requirements of tasks and objects. What’s more, it regularly reinforces technical staffs for implementing projects, constructing information works, handling damage incidents, in order to improve their qualifications and skills. As a result, to date, the Brigade has successfully developed the contingent of technical staff, especially the industry-leading and specialised on, capable of meeting task requirements; their level of exploitation and handling of situations in information assurance has been significantly improved; the deployment and installation of mobile information stations and substations are done according to technical requirements; communication is established fast with ensured quality. In recent years, the Brigade has been supplemented with many new and modern information equipment and devices. At the same time, it still has to manage and exploit a large number of old-generation ones, which are highly unsynchronised, prone to degradation and damage. To exploit them effectively, the Brigade focuses on the management and exploitation. For old-generation equipment, it directs units to manage, use and exploit in combination with new-generation one; promotes the qualifications and capacity of technical staff in maintenance and repair to increase their lifespan and efficiency, make the most of the spare parts from components of old-generation machines; promotes the initiative, positivity and creativity in exploiting modern equipment. At the same time, it proactively coordinates with civil and military telecommunications enterprises to hold refresher courses for professional staff so that they can gradually master advanced equipment and technology; closely coordinates with other units of the Corps to effectively exploit the military digital network, connect the military-wide computer network to create the foundation for applying command automation at all levels.

Training on portable Vsat

To strengthen the sustainability of the communication system, the Brigade directs its agencies and units to maintain the regime and order of technical work in a serious manner, together with the preservation, maintenance, storage, and repair of signal equipment and technology; motivates and encourages its officers and soldiers to promote initiatives, apply technical improvements in training and communication assurance; promotes the role of mobile technical groups and Technical Assurance Centres in troubleshooting technical problems on sites; regularly checks the technical condition of cars and motorbikes when transferring and receiving documents and vehicles when travelling on roads. The Brigade regularly conducts training and improves the level of management, preservation, maintenance, and repair for technical staff of stations, contributing to the effective management and exploitation of the military communication system, meeting requirements and tasks in all situations.

In addition to the above solutions, the Brigade regularly focuses on the research and application of scientific advances and the upgradation and consolidation of the technical infrastructure. Its technical force has proactively researched, installed, and put into use many components, circuit boards and information equipment with high efficiency. Many technical innovation initiatives have been highly appreciated at competitions and applied effectively. At the same time, it has invested, upgraded and consolidated the technical infrastructure system according to the objectives of Project 382 with a total area of ​​nearly 3,000m2. The workshops and technical teams of the battalions have all been invested with new generation technology, measuring instruments, and repair tools, etc. This has resulted in the improved capacity of the Technical Assurance Centre. Its technical force can now handle most information incidents in its authorised area, contributing to improving the quality of communication of the system.

By means of those synchronous and appropriate solutions, Brigade 596 has always successfully completed all targets and tasks of technical work, ensuring the smooth and solid flow of communication, contributing to building the brigade comprehensively strong, "exemplary and typical", effectively implementing the Strategy for developing the Military Communication System in the 2021 – 2030 period, with a vision towards 2045.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN HONG VAN, Brigade Commander