For them, the station is not only a place to work, but also a place to train their will, practice their mettle and cultivate the qualities of a revolutionary soldier. The 2025 excellent station officer competition organized by Regiment 351, Naval Region 3 is not only a professional test, but also a "competition" of will and intelligence between soldiers stationed at the forefront of the storm.

The radar station of Regiment 351 is located on high mountain tops.

The training ground is the mountain top, the "lecture hall" is the sea and sky.

Unlike the officers of the units stationed in the plains and inland, the radar stations of the 351st Regiment are located on high mountain peaks to the outpost islands, where living and working conditions are full of hardship, with year-round clouds and harsh climate. Each officer at the station here is not only a soldier, but also a teacher, an engineer, a commander who works independently, handling situations in conditions far from direct command.

Regiment 351 organizes the 2025 competition for excellent station officers.

Implementing the Regiment's competition plan, the units have organized serious training sessions, systematizing all work contents: Political ideology , regulations, unit management, observation skills, coordination, and handling of practical situations. Although far from the center, the initiative and creativity of the station commanders are bright spots. Many stations organize simulation training, mock tests, and real-life situation tests, in harsh weather conditions, and rugged terrain, where they are stationed day and night.

Major Cao Xuan Duy, Station Chief of Station 550 (located on Ly Son Island) shared: “We clearly identified the competition as an opportunity to look back at ourselves. Although stationed on a remote island, lacking staff and supporting equipment, we still encouraged each other to practice each shift and session. We took advantage of the time between shifts to take turns learning from each other. Difficulties did not discourage us, but instead made us even more determined.”

Solid results in the midst of hardship

On the top of Son Tra, early in the morning, covered in fog, officers and soldiers of Station 545 stick to the station day and night, observing sea targets and low-altitude air targets with high intensity. The density of ships and boats passing by makes the Station officers always have to stretch themselves to observe, analyze, and evaluate accurately. In such conditions, training and reviewing for the competition is not simple.

Senior Lieutenant Tran Hoang Quan, Deputy Head of Station 545, said: "We train shifts at night, in foggy conditions, in rapidly changing weather, and organize joint situation drills, from detecting, analyzing, reporting targets, and giving instructions on how to handle them, all of which must be accurate and quick."

At Station 555, on the top of Ganh Mountain, commanding officers focus on training and reviewing to master modern equipment. Major Le Thanh Truc, Station Chief of Station 555, shared: “We require each officer not only to study theory but also to practice the ability to analyze, forecast, and coordinate command. Each situation is set up to simulate the reality offshore, with time pressure, weather factors, and signal interference to create a level of difficulty equivalent to the field.”

Despite their different locations, remote islands or high mountains, the common point among the units is the spirit of overcoming difficulties, being proactive and self-reliant. The success of this competition is a testament to the bravery and intelligence of the Station staff - the people who directly operate the "magic eyes" of the Navy.

Comprehensive test of command ability

The 2025 Excellent Station Cadre Competition is not only a test of professional knowledge, but also a comprehensive examination of the thinking, courage and practical organizational capacity of the Station cadre team. The content of the competition includes: Political and military theory, practical situation handling, and practical inspection at the station.

The new point of the contest is the application of information technology in the construction and organization of multiple-choice tests on computers; at the same time, closely linking theory and practice. The question bank is tightly mixed, highly secure, closely following the practical tasks of each military station on special terrain such as high mountains and outpost islands.

Regiment 351 organized the "Excellent Station Officer" Contest in 2025.

Colonel Nguyen Duc Thuan, Commander of Regiment 351, emphasized: “We consider the competition an opportunity to accurately and truthfully assess the capacity of our staff, thereby having a basis for adjusting training and developing staff close to the actual combat mission. What we gain from the competition will be the premise for us to perfect the model of good - brave - elite - modern Station staff”.

From competition to training human resources

What makes the contest so influential is its role in encouraging the motivation to study, practice and contribute of the staff. After the contest, many stations adjusted their internal training plans, built group learning models, discovered and nurtured young talents, and created a source of successor staff.

Lieutenant Colonel Tran Xuan Duc, Political Commissar of Station 535, said: “The competition creates a vibrant learning atmosphere that spreads to each soldier. Through that, we select comrades with outstanding abilities to plan training, assign more difficult tasks, and challenge them more. Some young cadres and newly graduated cadres have also grown significantly from that.”

In units stationed far from the mainland, maintaining the spirit of learning and competing in training is not easy. Colonel Nguyen Huu Hung, Political Commissar of the Regiment, affirmed: “Through the competition, we clearly identified the level, mindset, and command style of the Station officers. From there, it is an important basis for the work of building officers, organizing rotation, appointment, and training of successors. This is a fundamental and solid step to build a regular, modern Regiment, mastering the situation of the sea and low airspace."

The contest has ended, but the journey to build a team of excellent Station officers has not stopped. On the high mountain peaks, the outpost islands in the middle of the ocean, the officers and soldiers of Regiment 351 are still silently writing the story of "protecting the sea" with their passionate hearts and constantly cultivating intelligence.

Despite facing numerous difficulties, each radar soldier always carries within him the spirit of "Solidarity, coordination, overcoming difficulties, sticking to the station, sticking to the radio, completing the mission well", upholding revolutionary mettle, determined to excellently complete the mission, maintaining the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland in all situations.

Article and photos: DINH HUONG

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    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/xay-dung-quan-doi/luyen-ban-linh-noi-dau-song-mai-tri-luc-tren-diem-cao-838160