The early summer days were hot, but on the sky-watching battlefield of Battalion 3 (Brigade 214), officers and soldiers were still enthusiastically and diligently practicing plans to fight the enemy's infiltration through the air. After the level 1 alarm bell sounded, urgent footsteps quickly took over the battlefield. Each person had a job, in a short time, the gunners completed the preparation work, putting the cannons into combat mode. Despite the sun beating straight into their faces, the gunners were still highly focused, performing precise movements, coordinating well and rhythmically, controlling the cannon barrel to search for the target, ready to fire at the command of the unit commander.

Battery crews of Company 7, Battalion 3 (Brigade 214) practice plans to fight enemy air infiltration.

Talking to us after finishing the exercise, Captain Truong Cong Hieu, Battalion Commander of Battalion 3 said: “The unit is on active duty, so the training of plans to fight the enemy infiltration through the air is practiced both day and night. Organizing such exercises not only trains the gunners in the use of weapons and equipment, improves the ability to coordinate operations between the numbers in the battery, but also reminds officers and soldiers to raise awareness of enemy situation; helping the unit always be in control in all situations.”

Although the training time was not long, the high intensity combined with the hot weather made the backs of the officers and soldiers soaked with sweat. The rough hands and dark faces due to the sun and wind on the training ground partly showed the hard work and training of the officers and soldiers of the unit. Talking to us at the artillery tray, Private Nguyen Tien Thanh, Gunner No. 2 of Battery 4, Platoon 2, Company 7 (Battalion 3) shared: “To put the artillery into combat mode as quickly as possible, the gunners must coordinate closely and rhythmically. To do so, each person must not only grasp their responsibilities but also be proficient in the key points, movements, and develop skills and techniques when using weapons and equipment.”

With the viewpoint that "good training is the key to effective on-duty duty", Brigade 214 always focuses on training soldiers to have a firm grasp of the structure, technical features, and tactics of the weapons and equipment in its inventory; master the essentials, especially the use of artillery, shooting skills, the ability to observe targets with the naked eye combined with the use of equipment in bad weather conditions; organize comprehensive training, close to the functions, tasks, targets, and combat areas of the air defense force; focus on improving the ability to maneuver, coordinate combat, skillfully camouflage, deceive, and conceal forces; combine training with physical training, improve the health and endurance of officers and soldiers.

The nature of air defense operations is very fast. Therefore, based on research and close assessment of the terrain, area and assigned tasks, Brigade 214 predicts the directions the enemy may break in, from which it develops a counter-attack plan and deploys units for training. Training is often carried out at high intensity, even in dark, foggy, rainy conditions to train and improve the combat capabilities of the squads. Lieutenant Colonel Vu Van Hoang, Deputy Chief of Staff of Brigade 214, said: “Every day, the units maintain a strict and orderly regime of duty at the command post as well as on the battlefield; organize additional duty before, during and after holidays, Tet, and important political events of the Party and State. This ensures that the unit is not passive or surprised when a situation occurs, keeping the assigned target safe.”

The command squad of Company 7, Battalion 3 (Brigade 214) participated in practicing the plan to fight the enemy's airborne infiltration.

Lieutenant Colonel Trinh Van Du, Deputy Brigade Commander and Chief of Staff of Brigade 214, said: "The Brigade Commander has increased the work of surprise inspections to gain experience; focused on organizing competitions and sports events between batteries and platoons to evaluate the training results and the actual combat readiness of the unit. Every year, the Brigade organizes well the command post exercises, joint military-army drills with a number of other units in Military Region 3 with live ammunition. Through this, the troops are trained closely to actual combat, contributing to improving the overall quality and combat readiness capability of the unit."

Article and photos: NGUYEN TRUONG