The task of managing and firmly safeguarding national sacred sovereignty over Truong Sa Archipelago is a great honour and pride of every officer and soldier of Brigade 146 under Naval Region 4. Fully aware of that special political responsibility, the Brigade’s Party Committee and Command are determined to excellently fulfil all assigned tasks, contributing to fostering and spreading the noble virtues of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” - Naval Soldiers in the new period.

National flag hoisted on the island of Truong Sa

The virtues of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” of the Heroic Brigade 146 have been forged from the courageous fighting spirit, the readiness to endure hardship and sacrifice among generations of officers and soldiers, and have been crystallised into the tradition of “Heroic combat, proactive unity, overcoming difficulties, firmly safeguarding sovereignty” throughout more than 47 years of building, fighting, winning, and development. That tradition is a source of pride and internal strength for the Brigade to surmount all challenges and successfully accomplish all assigned missions.

In order to preserve and promote those noble virtues and values, over the years, the Brigade’s Party Committee and Command have thoroughly grasped and strictly implemented Conclusion 01-KL/TW, dated 18 May 2021, by the Politburo on continuing to implement Directive 05 on studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality, and lifestyle, as well as the Campaign on “Promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s Soldiers - Naval Soldiers” in the new era. The Brigade has adopted numerous solutions to build “exemplarily” pure, strong Party organisations and “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong units capable of successfully fulfilling all assigned tasks. In the process, it has made breakthroughs in each field of work, identifying specific goals and targets, realising those goals and targets with high political resolve and synchronous, effective solutions, focusing on the central political task of managing and firmly safeguarding national sovereignty over Truong Sa Archipelago and the assigned maritime areas.

When performing missions of combat readiness and combat training in the country’s strategic maritime and island areas and protecting the Fatherland’s eastern “frontline bulwark”, officers and soldiers of the Brigade regularly face harsh climate conditions and difficulties in logistics support; they must always remain steadfast and vigilant amid complex situational developments. Thus, the Brigade has well conducted the work of political and ideological education to raise awareness, a sense of responsibility, political steadfastness, and determination among its officers and soldiers. Apart from political education under regulations, it has paid special attention to disseminating resolutions and directives of higher echelons to enable troops to grasp and internalise the Party’s viewpoints, the State’s laws, and international law in safeguarding national sovereignty over seas and islands and handling issues at sea.

Maintaining combat readiness

Adhering to their distinctive political missions, agencies and units of the Brigade have concentrated on grasping situational developments and clarifying their breakthroughs in association with specific content and targets of the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality, and lifestyle and the Campaign on “Promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s Soldiers - Naval Soldiers”, thereby fostering motivation and a responsible attitude among their troops. The Brigade has actively renewed educational forms and methods in a practical manner, closely aligned with reality, its operational environment, and the functions and tasks of each target group. Importance has been attached to combining basic education with tasks-based education, aligning traditional education and emulation movements with legal dissemination and education, integrating political education with regularity building and discipline management, and promoting the synergy of organisations, forces, and cultural institutions. The Brigade has promptly provided ideological orientation in the face of new, complex issues, creating a high level of unity in awareness and action, resolutely preventing and fighting manifestations of negative thinking. Thanks to those efforts, troops have always remained steadfast in their combat goals and ideal, maintaining their willpower, faith, and resolve to protect national sacred sovereignty over seas and islands.

Throughout stages of building, fighting, and development, the virtues of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” among troops of the Brigade have been clearly demonstrated in their ability to overcome difficulties and challenges, successfully fulfil the tasks of combat readiness and training, improve the overall quality and combat strength, and meet their mission requirements in all conditions and situations. Closely following its task requirements and strictly complying with directives and instructions from higher echelons, the Brigade has proactively developed, adjusted, and fully ensured combat readiness documents in accordance with regulations. It has stringently maintained combat readiness regimes, forces, and equipment, regularly organised training and drills to master combat readiness plans, and conducted patrols and guard duties under regulations, especially on islands, regardless of difficulties in logistics support. It has focused on closely monitoring situational developments in the air and at sea and giving timely advice to all-level commands on handling situations effectively and ensuring proper responses without passivity or surprise.

Thoroughly grasping and strictly implementing orders, directives, and resolutions on combat training issued by Naval Region 4 and the Naval Service, the Brigade has made breakthroughs in renewing and improving combat training work, thereby meeting the requirements of safeguarding national sovereignty over seas and islands in the new situation. On a yearly basis, Party committees and Party organisations at all levels issue specialised resolutions on leadership over combat training work, with clearly defined targets, content, and measures.

Agencies and units of the Brigade have made comprehensive preparations for training tasks. In addition to building and consolidating training grounds, the Brigade has concentrated on promoting internal strength, making the most of its resources and on-the-spot materials, fostering initiatives and improvements in training models, and overcoming difficulties in terms of infrastructure. It has placed emphasis on improving the comprehensive capabilities of its cadres, especially those directly engaged in training, considering this a key step.

In the training process, the Brigade has adhered to the motto of “basics, practicality, solidity”, conducting training close to battlefield realities, linking training courses with its operational plans, tasks, and environments. It has strictly maintained training discipline and flexibly, proactively organised training rotations suitable to the particularities of its tasks, weather conditions, and dispersed deployment. It has held training courses from low to high levels and from basic to specialised levels, taking practice as the main focus, intensifying training in manoeuvrability and coordination under complex weather conditions, thus helping troops improve their physical fitness, master their duties, proficiently use weapons and technical equipment in service, and be capable of undertaking all other positions when necessary, especially in island-based units.

Art performance on Truong Sa island

Besides, the Brigade has strengthened troop management and regularity building, strictly maintaining discipline within its affiliates, ensuring absolute safety in all activities. It has provided sufficient, timely, synchronous logistics and technical support for all missions. As a result, despite difficulties and challenges, thanks to its political resolve, effective solutions, and great efforts, the Brigade has achieved significant improvements in its training quality; many of its affiliates have attained the title of “Excellent Training Unit” for many years; its overall capability and combat strength have been directly enhanced as the basis for firmly safeguarding national sovereignty over the sea and islands of its responsibility.

Understanding the hardships and dangers faced by fishermen at sea, the Brigade has always accompanied fishermen, serving as a “reliable pillar for fishermen to reach out to the sea”, contributing to protecting national sovereignty over seas and islands. In all operations, officers and soldiers of the Brigade have always borne in mind that “the island is their home, the sea is their homeland, and fishermen are their relatives”. They have been fully aware that assisting and protecting fishermen at sea is both a duty and “command from the heart”; wherever fishermen are in need or face difficulties, naval soldiers are present. The Brigade has thoroughly disseminated the purposes, significance, requirements, and content of the Programs, namely “Vietnam People’s Navy provides firm support for fishermen to reach out to the sea” and “The Navy sponsors fishermen’s children”, translating those programs into specific tasks and action plans. It has regularly monitored abnormal weather and climate phenomena at sea, promptly providing information and guidance for fishermen and vessels to take shelter in Truong Sa Archipelago. It has actively participated in search and rescue operations, towing and repairing dozens of vessels with hundreds of fishermen in distress due to engine failure or shortages of fuel and fresh water, directly providing first aid and medical care, including many serious cases, giving free medical examination and medicine to thousands of fishermen.

At the same time, the Brigade has always taken the lead in conducting mass mobilisation and assisting fishermen in fishing. Its affiliates on islands have promoted their core role in closely coordinating with the Fisheries Surveillance Force, the Border Guard Force, and the People’s Committee of Truong Sa Special Zone to organise many effective, practical activities in support of fishermen. The Brigade has regularly carried out communication and dissemination work to encourage the people in coastal localities and fishermen at sea to comply with the Party’s lines, the State’s policies and laws, and international law, raising awareness and a sense of responsibility among citizens towards the protection of sea and island sovereignty and the observance of law in fishing activities. Not only acting as the core force in protecting national sovereignty over Truong Sa Archipelago, officers and soldiers of the Brigade stationed on the islands have also served as a firm spiritual fulcrum for fishermen in the open sea. Fisheries logistics service centres, fishing villages, and infirmaries on the islands have been reliable “red addresses” ready to provide food and clothing for fishermen as well as rescue and protect fishermen.

In the time to come, new, higher, and more urgent requirements will be imposed on the task of managing and firmly safeguarding national sovereignty over Truong Sa Archipelago. Hence, the Brigade’s Party Committee and Command will continue to lead and direct agencies and units to thoroughly grasp and effectively perform their missions, promote the noble virtues of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers - Naval Soldiers” in the new period, make Truong Sa Archipelago “strong in defence, good in lifestyle, beautiful in landscape, and exemplary in military - civilian unity”, and resolutely safeguard national sacred sovereignty over seas and islands.

Sr. Col. PHAM VAN THO

Political Commissar of the Brigade