On this day 29 years ago (August 2, 1996), the first submarine unit of the Vietnam People's Navy - Regiment 196 was established.
Regiment 196 carries great honor and responsibility, carrying out the tasks of organizing training, managing, commanding and providing technical support for the first strategic submarine force of the Vietnam People's Navy in protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.
Invisible power under the sea
Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Son - Political Commissar of Regiment 196 - said that submarines are a symbol of "stealth power" under the sea. This is a high-tech weapon, requiring absolute precision, secrecy and iron discipline. Building a unit as a solid "combat rear" for the submarine force like the role of Regiment 196 has strategic significance in the modernization of the Vietnam People's Navy.
Officers and soldiers of Regiment 196 practice live-fire testing at sea in 2025
Submarines are a special combat force, operating in a special environment and requiring high discipline and precision.
The Regiment is assigned important tasks such as: organizing training, drills, and managing submarine crews and shore crews; organizing command and combat readiness; ensuring technical and logistical support for the submarine force within the Regiment's organization.
In the middle of the vast ocean, Vietnamese submariners live in a space where the sun is not visible, day and night seem to blend together. They are attached to machines and weapons, communicating through short commands on the control panel. Every number and parameter on the ship must be carefully monitored to ensure safety. Submarine sailors practice iron discipline, absolute compliance to ensure the safety of the entire ship. A moment of negligence from anyone can lead to an irreversible disaster.
Officers and soldiers of Regiment 196 perform training missions at sea. Photo: VGP/ Quang Dao
The Political Commissar of Regiment 196 said: “Without a strong political stance, there cannot be sustainable overall strength. The implementation of resolutions, political study, traditional education, and studying and following Uncle Ho are maintained in a disciplined manner, linked to the unit's practice. Submarine soldiers carry within them the spirit of 'self-training, self-study, self-training'.”
Mental and physical training
According to Lieutenant Colonel Vu Quang - Regiment Commander, in an era where the East Sea is becoming more and more complicated, the tasks required for the Regiment are increasingly high. With the experience accumulated over 29 years, Regiment 196 has many solutions for training and combat readiness.
The unit conducts intensive conversion training, joint practical training, and combat readiness drills. At the same time, the unit organizes training in psychology, physical strength, technical operations, tactics, and handling of real-life situations close to battlefield conditions.
“Every mission is urgent, special, secret and absolutely precise. Each crew, each training session, each technical inspection session under the sea are all ‘silent battles’” - Lieutenant Colonel Vu Quang shared.
The Regiment has comprehensively and synchronously deployed training contents; focused on building regular ship and shore crews; solid skills and fortitude in all situations, even in the harsh and high-pressure environment of the seabed.
Training to improve combat readiness
At the same time, the Regiment pays special attention to technical assurance for special equipment, especially submarine equipment. With a well-trained technical staff, the Regiment has maintained a technical coefficient that always meets and exceeds the target, ensuring absolute safety for people and equipment.
"The development of the Regiment is a clear demonstration of the development process of the submarine force of the Vietnam People's Navy. In the new period, Submarine Regiment 196 will continue to comprehensively innovate, improve training quality, master high-tech weapons, promote combined strength, solidarity and discipline" - Lieutenant Colonel Vuong Van Man, Political Commissar of the Regiment shared.
Vietnamnet.vn
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dieu-dac-biet-ve-don-vi-tau-ngam-dau-tien-cua-viet-nam-2427931.html
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