Colonel Nguyễn Văn Thiện, commander of the 371 Air Division of the Air Defence-Air Force. — VNA/VNS Photo Thành Đạt

Commander of the 371 Air Division of the Air Defence-Air Force, Colonel Nguyễn Văn Thiện, spoke to Nhân Dân (The People) online newspaper about strategic solutions to help air force units progress towards modernity in line with the demands of national defence, focusing on efficiency, strength and modernisation to enhance national security capabilities.

Could you share how the directive on building a streamlined, strong, modern military has been implemented within your division ?

Building a streamlined, strong and modern military is a consistent policy of the Party and a necessary task in the new situation. This ensures that the military remains robust, contributing to maintaining stability for the nation's development and prosperity.

Over the past years, the 371 Air Division has thoroughly embraced and implemented the policy through basic, cautious and solid measures. Our focus has been on several key areas.

Firstly, we have prioritised strengthening education and awareness, ensuring that officers and soldiers understand the policy of building a streamlined, strong and modern military. This helps to foster a sense of responsibility and determination among all ranks, ensuring alignment with the Party's direction for military development in the new situation.

We have also made significant strides in streamlining organisational structure and staffing. For instance, in 2023, the division merged the Logistics Office and Technical Office into a unified Logistics-Technical Office. Additionally, we have actively reviewed and reassigned personnel to correct any imbalances in troop numbers between various units, ensuring sufficient manpower for training and combat readiness.

Another key measure has been the proactive application of e-Government and administrative reform in military affairs. We have digitalised various processes, including document management, staff records, military data and health insurance management.

Modernisation requires political strength. What specific measures has the 371 Air Division taken to build a politically robust force?

Building a politically strong force is a fundamental task to ensure the division always has clear political goals and is unwavering in its loyal to the Party, State and the people. In recent years, the 371 Division has undertaken several initiatives to strengthen our political and ideological foundation.

We have rigorously implemented measures to enhance the quality of political and ideological education, legal dissemination and internal discipline. The division has also leveraged the role of organisational structures to train and nurture officers and soldiers with firm political resolve, clear goals and a high sense of responsibility and ethical conduct.

Moreover, we have integrated organisational and staffing improvements with training, monitoring and capacity-building measures to strengthen the political, ideological and ethical standards of Party organisations at all levels, particularly grassroots.

We have also focused on fostering a culture of competition for excellence, with a strong emphasis on information and dissemination related to military duties, national defence and the traditions of our armed forces. Furthermore, we are vigilant in combating hostile ideologies and safeguarding the Party's political guidance within each unit.

Could you share with us some strategic solutions which contribute to the Air Force’s process of becoming "revolutionary, regular, elite and modern"?

The Air Defence-Air Force is one of the forces the Party and State have designated to progress towards modernity. As a key unit of the Air Defence-Air Force, the 371 Division plays an important role in this process. We fully recognise the responsibility, so, the Party Committee and leadership of the division are implementing a comprehensive set of measures to ensure we uphold the heroic traditions of our air force and continue to excel in the new era. There are several measures to do that.

First, we are prioritising the construction of a politically, ideologically and organisationally strong division, aligned with the demands of modern warfare. This is the key factor in enhancing the division's overall capability.

We are focusing on the development of officers, pilots, engineers and technical staff to become 'elite air defence-air force personnel'. Our approach to training emphasises political integrity, responsibility, professional competence, technical expertise, combat readiness and discipline.

We are also strengthening technical support and improving the ability to operate and maintain advanced weapons and equipment, encouraging innovation and technical improvements to support our journey towards modernisation.

Su-30MK2 aircrafts of Air Division 371 practise protecting the capital's airspace. —VNA/VNS Photo An Đăng

Given the rapid development of scientific and technological revolution, how has the 371 Division organised training to adapt to modern technological combat conditions?

Our military doctrine remains clear 'People first, weapons second'. No matter how advanced the technology, it is the human factor that ultimately determines the success or failure of warfare. With this in mind, the 371 Division has taken several key steps to ensure our personnel are prepared for high-tech combat scenarios.

Firstly, we focus on political and ideological education to build resilience, determination and trust in our capabilities, while emphasising confidence in the military strategies and tactics we employ, along with our current weapons and equipment.

We have also emphasised learning from past wars, particularly the experience of defeating advanced enemy technologies during the Việt Nam war. This allows us to apply and adapt the lessons in the context of modern national defence capabilities.

Secondly, we actively advance training in high-tech combat conditions, in line with resolutions from the Party and the Air Defence-Air Force’s leadership. This includes practical exercises to enhance our troops' proficiency with existing weapons and systems, ensuring effective collaboration during joint operations with ground and air units. Additionally, we have conducted training exercises under various conditions, including night flying and simulated operations in diverse weather environments.

In particular, in the recent past, the division has innovated training methods and ways to organise training to suit the actual conditions and situations, improving the level, professional quality and combat readiness of the components and forces. For example, mobilising Regiment 921 to Thọ Xuân Airport, Phan Rang Airport to organise flight training, mobilising the pilot force of Regiment 927 and 923 to participate in flights, combat duty and vice versa to save engine hours of Su-30 aircraft.

Third, along with flight training, ground training is maintained closely and systematically, ensuring a balance between ground training and air training, ensuring completion of all plans and achieving quality.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution demands increasingly high standards from the armed forces. Could you share some of the innovative models and initiatives to improve training effectiveness?

In recent years, the 371 Division has actively encouraged scientific research and the development of technical improvements. Particularly within our aviation support teams, we have seen many initiatives that have made a tangible differences to the division’s technical readiness.

Several initiatives have significantly improved maintenance and technical support for our aircraft, leading to higher quality in weaponry and equipment upkeep. The innovations have received high recognition at both military and air force levels, with many winning awards in national competitions for innovation.

A prime example of such individuals is Lieutenant Colonel Đồng Văn Đức, assistant for Electronic Radio, Technical Division - E923. He is an aviation technical officer, who has contributed numerous research topics and technical innovations, which have been successfully applied in practice within the unit. He has also participated in the Military Youth Innovation Competitions, winning high-ranking awards, such as 'Designing a device for testing the ballistic parameter settings in the Ш101ВЭП weapon control system on the Cy-30MK2 aircraft', and he was awarded third prize in the 'Youth Innovation in the Armed Forces' competition in 2023. He also participated and awarded the silver prize in the same competition in 2024 for 'Creating a device to automatically read self-test data of the air-to-air weapon control system on the Su-30MK2 aircraft'.

Lieutenant Colonel Lê Văn Thụ, a professional military officer and aircraft engine mechanic of Squadron 2, Regiment 923, has also made significant contributions with his innovation 'The Su-30MK2 aircraft’s main landing gear lifter' – an initiative that has been implemented, reducing manpower and operational time in performing technical maintenance tasks for aviation missions. This achievement earned him recognition and a commendation from the air force.

In addition, many other individuals and groups within the division have made notable contributions to scientific research.

Moving forward, the division's leadership will continue to focus on promoting scientific research, ensuring the availability of funding and facilitating the implementation of technical improvements, innovative training models and effective solutions. Timely recognition and rewards will be given to individuals and teams with outstanding achievements. — VNS