Participating in the 2024 One-sided, Two-level Command - Agency exercise of Division 968, the lasting impression was the live-fire practice of the firepower squads of Regiment 19.

The results of accurately destroying targets right from the first round of bullets not only pleased the officers and soldiers at that time, but immediately after the exercise ended, the unit's squads were honored to receive commendation from the head of the Military Region Command.

The 12.7mm machine gun squad of the 19th Regiment trained intensively in the content of taking shooting elements.

Completing the field training, Lieutenant Colonel Chu Thanh Minh, Deputy Regiment Commander and Chief of Staff of Regiment 19, affirmed: "This is the result of efforts in innovating training methods for fire squads, affirming the operational level and ability to master weapons and equipment of officers and soldiers."

According to the explanation of Lieutenant Colonel Chu Thanh Minh, these are powerful firepower types, with full curriculum and documents of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army as the basis for organizing training. However, the actual difficulty is that currently the unit's direct training staff are mostly young, newly graduated, and have little experience in training and firing live ammunition of various types of firepower weapons. Therefore, if the training must be spread out, the young staff will not be able to complete all the training program content.

To solve that difficulty, the Regiment has established specialized training teams. During the training process, the unit promotes the role of officers with knowledge and practical experience after many years of training, firing live ammunition and artillery, thereby applying and imparting their knowledge and experience to young officers and soldiers in each battery in an easy-to-understand and easy-to-remember way.

Besides, the initiative, diligence in research, self-study to grasp knowledge and practical experience of the young cadres have contributed to high achievements in experimental firings, as well as participating in defense area drills with localities and of the Regiment and Division.

The firepower squads of the 968th Division units all established specialized training groups according to the specific tasks of each unit. Accordingly, the battalion-level focal units selected good training officers with good professional capacity in firepower training, and arranged them into specialized training groups in tactics and techniques.

With the motto "whichever is weak, cultivate that part", training from low to high, easy to difficult, simple to complex, closely combining theory with practice, technique with tactics, specialized training teams have actively supported improving the training quality of the unit.

Mortar Squad 60, Company 5, Battalion 6, Regiment 19 participated in the defense area exercise with Quang Tri province.

Sergeant Le Hong Dai, 60mm Mortar Battery Squad Leader (Company 2, Battalion 4, Regiment 19) shared: “The gunner who takes the firing element is the one who has the most difficulty in operation because he is influenced by the pressure of the overall performance of the entire battery, because the sight equipped for the 60mm Mortar in my unit after many years of use has a certain degree of looseness. In order for the shell to reach the right target, the officers attach great importance to in-depth training through fostering and imparting shooting experience to each gunner position.”

The current general situation in training organization at the fire units of Division 968 is that the soldiers' qualifications are uneven, while the training content is numerous and difficult, and the training intensity is high.

To overcome this difficulty, the Party Committee and commanders of the units have focused on improving the quality of cadres at all levels, considering it the top priority task, the basis for ensuring the improvement of training quality and combat readiness in each unit. Along with organizing intensive training, the units also focus on political and ideological education, building the mettle, style, spirit, and will to be self-reliant and self-reliant for all cadres and soldiers; making breakthroughs in thoroughly resolving weak points, weak aspects, and difficult tasks, proactively creating new, creative, and effective ways of doing things.

Colonel Phan Duc Khang, Deputy Division Commander and Chief of Staff of Division 968, said: “Intensive breakthrough, in which the role of specialized training teams is promoted, is just one of many measures that the Breakthrough Division has implemented according to the motto “Basic, practical, solid” in recent years. Innovating training methods for fire squads in accordance with the weapon equipment conditions of each unit, combined with regular training of troops to rub against the actual requirements of combat missions such as: Night training, long-term mobile marches, joint combat exercises, live-fire exercises... are high requirements for fire squads”.

Article and photos: NGOC THANG

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/xay-dung-quan-doi/su-doan-968-quan-khu-4-vung-co-ban-dot-pha-chuyen-sau-837221