Improve the quality of maritime militia training

With a strategic geographical position and a coastline of over 72km, Nam Dinh plays an important role in the national defense and people's security in coastal areas. Faced with increasingly high requirements in the new situation, Nam Dinh province has focused on building a strong maritime militia force, improving the quality of comprehensive training, meeting the requirements of firmly protecting the sovereignty of the Fatherland's seas in all situations.

Hai Hau district militia soldiers practice tactical movement exercises at the training ground.

To ensure national defense and security, the national defense posture of all people, Nam Dinh currently maintains maritime militia platoons deployed in coastal communes and towns in the three districts of Giao Thuy, Hai Hau and Nghia Hung. These are localities with a high density of fishing vessels, often in contact with the bordering sea, with many potential complex factors regarding security and order. The maritime militia force of Nam Dinh province is carefully selected from a team of fishermen with good health, good moral qualities, a high sense of responsibility, knowledge of the area and skills to work at sea. The maritime militia platoons are not only a force ready to fight to protect the sovereignty and security of the sea, but also an important bridge in carrying out the task of mass mobilization, propagating fishermen to strictly comply with the law in exploiting and catching seafood; supporting the rescue of fishermen in the event of natural disasters and unexpected accidents at sea.

With the spirit of "Good training, strict discipline, high combat readiness", in recent years, the Provincial Military Command has always focused on directing strong innovation in the content and training methods of the maritime militia force in the direction of "Basic, practical, solid", close to reality, locality, objects, suitable to the characteristics of the maritime militia's activities. Every year, based on the instructions of Military Region 3 and the plan for local defense and military tasks, the Provincial Military Command develops a specific training plan, clearly assigning responsibilities to each agency and unit. In 2024 and the first 6 months of 2025, the provincial armed forces have directed the Military Commands of Giao Thuy, Hai Hau, and Nghia Hung districts to fully organize maritime militia training courses according to regulations, ensuring content, program, and time. Each training session lasts from 12 to 15 days, divided into theoretical, practical and final assessment phases. Training content includes: political education, dissemination of maritime and island laws; technical training in the use of weapons and equipment; combat maneuvering methods; skills in patrolling, observing, detecting and handling situations at sea; knowledge of natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue, rescue, fire prevention and fighting. In particular, contents such as GPS positioning methods, using nautical charts, magnetic compasses, reporting coordinates, practicing drowning rescue, first aid for victims... are enhanced in the direction of training close to the task, helping maritime militia soldiers to be able to handle flexibly when actual incidents occur. 100% of the troops have completed the training program with 98.8% meeting the requirements, of which nearly 80% achieved good or excellent results or higher.

In addition, training courses for maritime militia officers from the platoon leader and squad leader levels are regularly maintained by the Provincial Military Command according to the annual plan. In March 2025, the Provincial Military Command organized a training course for 42 maritime militia officers, focusing on organizing and commanding maritime patrols, guiding the development of combat plans to protect coastal targets, skills in conducting training at the base, and methods of propagating and mobilizing the masses to strictly comply with the Party's guidelines and policies and the State's laws and policies related to protecting sea and island sovereignty.

The maritime militia force also regularly organizes joint exercises with the Border Guard, Coast Guard and other forces in handling hypothetical situations such as: fishing boats encroaching on the sea; detecting strange objects, suspicious objects; rescuing fishing boats in trouble... thereby improving the ability to coordinate and respond quickly to complex situations at sea. Having been trained systematically and gradually standardized, the Nam Dinh maritime militia not only masters basic combat skills but also actively performs well the task of mass mobilization work, building a national defense posture at sea. During peak periods of natural disaster prevention and control, tropical depressions, storms and floods, the maritime militia platoons are always the shock force in supporting the evacuation of fishermen, bringing boats to safe shelters, patrolling and controlling sea dikes, river mouths and canals. Many maritime militia soldiers are also active propagandists in the work of preventing and combating illegal fishing (IUU), mobilizing fishermen not to encroach on foreign waters and protecting sustainable fishing grounds.

Promoting the achieved results, in the coming time, the Provincial Military Command will continue to advise the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee to direct coastal localities to pay attention to investing resources, building a strong maritime militia force in both quantity and quality. In particular, focusing on improving the quality of the maritime militia command staff, innovating training work, organizing regional training courses to improve quality consistency. At the same time, continue to strengthen coordination between forces: military, border guards, coast guard... in managing the area, sharing information, implementing professional activities, building a rapid response mechanism, ensuring timely and effective handling of all situations at sea; contributing significantly to the task of protecting sovereignty, maintaining maritime security and developing the marine economy sustainably.

Article and photos: Hoang Tuan

Source: https://baonamdinh.vn/xa-hoi/202506/nang-cao-chat-luonghuan-luyen-dan-quan-bien-bd818ee/