December 22, 2014 marks the 70th anniversary of the Vietnam People's Army, it was a direct participant in the long bloody people's liberation war on the territory of the Indochinese Peninsula, which lasted almost continuously for 30 years: from 1945 to 1975. The Vietnamese People's Army is still highly organized, disciplined and mobile, better prepared than other social forces for operations in complex and even extreme situations. This is one of the most important socio-political institutions of the state. On the one hand, the army is a bulwark of its sovereignty, territorial integrity, a guarantor of external security, and on the other hand, it acts as a guarantor of internal stability and security of the whole society. It has always been the first to be involved in solving the consequences of natural disasters, accidents, catastrophes, and rendering assistance to the national economy. In all cases of using the army to maintain stability in society, its actions are not directed against the people, but in defense of their interests. In other words: the people and the army are united, and this is the strength of the Vietnam People's Army.
The structure of the Vietnamese Armed Forces. The armed forces (AF) of Vietnam are the largest in Southeast Asia and traditionally have a very high combat capability. In just a quarter of a century (from 1954 to 1979), they won victories over France, the United States and China, which has no precedent in modern history.
The military budget in 2013 amounted to $3.80 billion.
All military formations of the Vietnam People's Army are in one of three groups: Main Forces (Chủ lực), Local Forces (Địa phương), People's Defense Forces (Dân quân-Tự vệ). Each of these groups has its own reserve.
As part of the Vietnam People's Army, there are the following types of troops:
Ground forces (Lục quân Việt Nam);
Air Force and Air Defense (Không lực Việt Nam)
Navy (Hải quân nhân dân Việt Nam)
Marines
coast guard forces
Border Guard Force (Biên phòng Việt Nam)
Completion: on call. The service life of the SV is 24 months, the Navy and the Air Force - 36 months. Reserve 5 million people Paramilitary formations (border troops) 40 thousand people. Mob. resources 23.4 million people, including 14.7 million fit for military service
Regular aircraft - 482 thousand people (SV-412 thousand, Air Force-30 thousand, Navy-40 thousand)
NE: 412 thousand people, 8 military districts (including the capital), 4 headquarters of the AK (Danang, Pleiku, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho). Consisting of: one SPETSNAZ brigade, 10 tank brigades and 3 tank regiment, 3 mechanized infantry divisions, 23 infantry divisions, 10 artillery brigades, one artillery regiment, 11 air defense brigades, 10 engineering brigades and one engineer regiment, an electronic warfare regiment, three communications brigades, 2 communications regiments, 9 construction divisions, an MTO regiment, a medical brigade, automobile regiment. Reserve 9 infantry divisions.
Armament: 1270 BT (45T-34, 850T-54/55, 70T-62, 350T-59), 620 light tanks (300PT-76, 320T-62/63), 100 armored personnel carriers, 300 infantry fighting vehicles, 1380 armored personnel carriers (in tons .h 200 M113 is planned to be upgraded), 2,300 towed guns, 30 152-mm Akatsiya SG, 710 MLRS (including 350 BM-21 Grad). There are also 82-, 120- and 160-mm mortars, AT-3 anti-tank systems, BZO (75-, 82- and 87-mm).
Air defense systems: MANPADS 9K32 "Strela-2", 9K310 "Igla-1", 9K38 "Igla", anti-aircraft guns -12 thousand, more than 100 ZSU-23-4.
Air Force: 30 thousand people, have three air divisions and one transport brigade.
The air defense is composed of: six air defense divisions, including 11 aviation regiments, 16 anti-aircraft missile brigades and seven anti-aircraft artillery regiments.
Tactical units: 4 IAP with MiG-21, 4 IBAP with Su-22, Su-27 and Su-30 Mk2, 2 tap, 2 UIAP with L-39 and Yak-52.
Aircraft and helicopter park; 30 Su-22. 6 Su-27, 5 Su-27UBK, 23 SU-30MK2V, 97 MiG-21BIS, PF and U, 4 Be-12, 6 An-2. one M28 Bryza, 12 An-26s, 4 Yak-40s, 18L-39s. 30Yak-52, 26 Mi-24, 6 Mi-17, 14 Mi-8 and 4Mi-171. 12Bell-205.
Vietnamese Air Force L-39C combat training aircraft
Vietnam bought an unmanned Orbiter 2 system from Israel. The compact Orbiter UAV is capable of climbing to a height of up to 5.5 kilometers and speeds up to 130 kilometers per hour. It can carry up to 1.5 kilograms of payload and stay in the air for up to four hours. UAVs Orbiter are in service with a dozen countries, including Israel, South Africa, Mexico, Poland and Finland.
UAV Orbiter 2
The most elite part of the Vietnamese Air Force is the 370th Aviation Division, equipped with Su-30MK2V aircraft. The division is stationed on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City (Bien Hoa base). Ho Chi Minh City is located 1124 km from the Strait of Malacca, we can expect an increase in the number of these aircraft capable of operating over the entire water area of the South China Sea. The Vietnamese Air Force has developed a large-scale program for re-equipping and replacing old aircraft, they still continue to order Su-30MK aircraft, and it is planned to purchase Yak-130 combat training aircraft. In recent years, a large-scale modernization of civilian airports has been carried out, where modern combat and training aircraft will be based.
Air defense as an organizational structure is integral part The Air Force includes the following systems:
enemy air reconnaissance,
anti-aircraft missile and artillery,
fighter aviation cover, command and control, technical and logistic support - the basis of which are formations, units, subunits:
intelligence,
anti-aircraft guided missiles,
anti-aircraft artillery,
fighter aircraft,
automated control systems,
communications,
technical and logistic support.
The anti-aircraft missile and artillery cover is based on anti-aircraft missile, anti-aircraft artillery systems of long, medium and short range, as well as short-range anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as anti-aircraft artillery.
Currently, there are 50 divisions of the S-75 air defense system, 25 divisions of the S-125 air defense system, two divisions of the S-300PS air defense system (24 launchers), one division of the S-300PMU1. In accordance with the plans, in the near future, four to six Buk-M2 divisions, 8-12 Pantsir-S1 air defense missile systems should go into service.
Fighter aviation is assigned an important role in the air defense system, because it is capable of giving it an offensive character in combat operations and increasing its activity. Using high combat capabilities in performing maneuvers in a short time to other air directions, the conduct of hostilities on distant lines from covered objects - fighter aircraft are planned to be used as a reserve to strengthen cover on identified dangerous directions and close breakthroughs in the air defense system.
Reconnaissance of an air enemy is of a complex nature, ensuring the detection of all targets at ranges that allow fighter aircraft and long-range anti-aircraft missiles to destroy targets on safe lines from covered objects. It is armed with radar optical and other means of detecting ground-based and air-based AOS, automated points for processing information from all sources, means for transmitting target designation and coordinates of air targets - to the command posts of anti-aircraft formations, units, points for guidance and control of fighter aircraft in an automated mode in real time. time scale.
The grouping of reconnaissance forces and means has reliable noise immunity, and their technical means have high noise immunity. Equipment and armament of reconnaissance means have high mobility, units and subunits - mobility and maneuverability, which are the main factors in increasing their survivability and stability.
The Vietnamese Air Force is considering the possibility of acquiring Belarusian-made mobile solid-state digital two-coordinate radar stations (RLS) RV-01 Vostok-E. Developed by the Radar design bureau, the station is supposed to replace the obsolete P-18 radars of the Soviet era in the Vietnamese Air Force. The Vostok-E radar station is capable of detecting stealth fighters, including the American F-117A, in conditions of interference at a distance of 74 km, and in their absence - up to 350 km. Sources say that Belarus plans to sell about 20 Vostok-E radars to the Vietnamese Air Force.
The radar field of the air defense system is created through the use of different types of radar stations, total number of which there are about 80 radars, 24 of which are mobile radars of the P-18 type, using the chassis of Ural trucks. All elements of the system are mobile, which makes it possible to deploy the radar system throughout Vietnam, making it difficult to destroy it.
Currently, the command post of the Vietnamese Air Force is located in Hanoi. Formations, units, subunits, command posts (control posts), control and communication systems of the air defense forces and fighter aviation are in constant combat readiness, a certain part of them are on combat duty.
Air defense armament:
S-300 PS, S-300PMU1, S-75, S-125.
MANPADS 9K32 Strela-2, 9K310 Igla-1, 9K38 Igla; "Needle-S",
anti-aircraft guns - ZU-23, 37 mm, 57 mm, 85 mm, 100 mm and 130 mm.
Naval Forces. Vietnam is a maritime power. The coast stretches from the border with China in the north to Cape Ca Mau in the south of Vietnam and has a length of 3344 km, on which there are about 114 seaports, 14 of which are relatively large and called "the key to economic development". The three largest ports in Vietnam are Ho Chi Minh City (south), Haiphong (north) and Da Nang (center).
The modern Vietnamese Navy is an independent branch of the armed forces. The Naval Forces are organized into four naval regions and include: nine brigades of warships, boats and auxiliary vessels, a special-purpose brigade, two marine brigades and two coastal defense brigades. Personnel - 40.0 thousand people, including 27 thousand people of the Marine Corps.
The main tasks of the Navy: the destruction of enemy forces at sea and the disruption of its sea lanes, the landing of tactical landings and reconnaissance and sabotage groups, the provision of support to ground forces, the implementation of blockade operations, reconnaissance, the protection of sea lanes, coastal defense.
The Territorial Administration of the Vietnamese Navy is divided into five regions:
1st Regional Command (Regional Command A, Headquarters Hai Phong): Gulf of Tonkin, controls the northern coast, from Quang Ninh Province to Ha Tinh Province, and also includes the islands in the Gulf of Tonkin.
3rd Regional Command (Regional Command C, Da Nang Headquarters): Governs the north-central coast, from Quang Binh Province to Binh Dinh Province, and also includes a group of islands in this zone. The zone of responsibility also includes the uninhabited archipelago of the Paracel Islands, which is claimed by Vietnam and controlled by China.
4th Regional Command (Regional Command D, Cam Ranh Headquarters): Governs the south-central coast, from Phu Yen Province to Binh Thuan Province, and also includes a group of islands in this zone, including Spratly Island.
2nd Regional Command (Regional Command B, Nyeong Chat Headquarters, Dong Nai Province): manages the south coast, from Binh Thuan Province to Bac Lieu Province, and also includes the southern continental shelf, including key areas of economic science zones.
5th Regional Command (Regional Command E, Headquarters Phu Quoc): Governs the southern coast of the Gulf of Thailand, from Ca Mau Province to Kien Giang Province.
Submarine forces are represented by two SMPL "Yugo" and three submarines "Varshavyanka". Three diesel-electric submarines (DEPL) of project 06361 are in operation. A total of 6 submarines of project 636 "Varshavyanka" are ordered
Submarines of the Vietnamese Navy:
|
Name |
Factory number |
Bookmark |
Introduction to the fleet |
State |
Note |
||
|
("Hanoi") |
Admiralty Shipyards |
11/07/2013 (act in Russia), |
|||||
|
("Ho Chi Minh City") |
Admiralty Shipyards |
01/16/2014 (act in Russia) |
|||||
|
("Hai Phong") |
Admiralty Shipyards |
November 2014 (plan) |
Running tests. |
The crew is being trained on the boat |
|||
|
("Khanh Hoa") |
Admiralty Shipyards |
2015-2016 (plan) |
Factory running tests. |
21.08.2014 ZHI started |
|||
|
("Danang") |
Admiralty Shipyards |
12.2014 (plan) |
2015-2016 (plan) |
Laid down |
Hull docking completed |
||
|
("Vung Tau") |
Admiralty Shipyards |
2015-2016 (plan) |
Laid down |
Frigates. Vietnam acquired the first two ships of the Gepard-3.9 project in 2006, and on March 5, 2011, the national flag of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was raised on the first frigate at the Cam Ranh naval base. The ship was named "Dinh Tien Hoang" (Dinh Tien Hoang) in honor of the first emperor of Vietnam, and on August 22, 2011, the official flag-raising ceremony took place on the second frigate "Ly Thai To" (Li Thai To).
The frigates are armed with X-35 Uran (SS-N-25 Switchblade) anti-ship cruise missiles, have one Palma launcher with Verba MANPADS missiles, one 76.2-mm artillery mount and two AK-630 mounts. The air group of ships includes one helicopter of the Ka-28 or Ka-31 type.
Patrol ship (frigate) of project 11661 "Gepard - 3.9" is designed to perform such tasks as search, tracking and combating surface, underwater, air targets, conducting escort operations and carrying out sentinel service, as well as protecting the economic zone of maritime state borders. The total displacement of the vessel is 2200 tons, the cruising range is about 5000 miles.
In October 2012, Russia and Vietnam entered into an intergovernmental agreement for the supply of two more frigates, and on February 15, 2013, a state contract was signed between Rosoboronexport and the Zelenodolsk plant named after. Gorky (part of JSC Holding Company Ak Bars). It is believed that the new pair of "Cheetahs" will differ from their predecessors - primarily anti-submarine "bias".
Corvettes (large missile boats) of project 12418 (code "Lightning"). The contract for the organization in Vietnam of the construction of boats of project 12418 (code "Lightning"), equipped with the anti-ship missile system 3K24E "Uran-E", was signed by Rosoboronexport in 2006.
The contract included the supply to Vietnam of two project 12418 corvettes completely ready (under an agreement dating back to 2004), as well as the construction in Vietnam with Russian assistance of six more such boats (with an option for four more boats). Two large missile boats HQ-377 and HQ-378 of project 12418 were officially commissioned into the Vietnamese Navy in July 2014. These are the first two units built by the Ba Son Limited shipbuilding company under a Russian license and with Russian assistance under a 2006 contract. The total cost of the agreement reaches almost $1 billion.
The main executor from the Russian side is JSC Vympel Shipbuilding Plant, which built two complete boats of project 12418, handed over to the Vietnamese Navy in 2007 (current Vietnamese tail numbers HQ-375 and HQ-376), and also supplies hull sections to Vietnam , components and structures for the licensed construction of boats of this type. The construction of boats in Vietnam is carried out under the technical supervision of the construction by Vympel, as well as the developer company - Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau OJSC from St. Petersburg. Deliveries of components to Vietnam from Rybinsk for six contracted boats, which began in 2010, will continue until 2015.
In Vietnam, it is planned to build eight more corvettes, Project 12418, with Uran anti-ship missiles, and these missiles will also be produced in Vietnam. On July 17, 2014, an official ceremony of hoisting the Vietnamese naval flags on the first two project 12418 corvettes, built in Vietnam under a Russian license and with Russian assistance, took place at the Vietnamese naval base of Nyon Chat (southern Dong Nai province). Corvettes HQ-377 and HQ-378 became part of the 167th Naval Brigade of the 2nd Naval District of the Vietnamese Naval Forces based on Nyonchat.
Thus, the Vietnamese Navy will have eight modern corvettes, project 12418, currently there are four with Uran anti-ship missiles (project 12418), tail numbers HQ-375 and HQ-376, HQ-377 and HQ-378.
In addition, there are 2 missile corvettes of the BSP-500 project, 5 old patrol ships of the 159-A project.
Missile boats of Soviet and Russian construction - eight old RKA pr. 205M. Five hydrofoil torpedo boats, pr. 206M, remain in service. and 3 Ave. 206T.
Patrol boats of project 10412 - 6 in total, created on the basis of the border patrol ship of project 10410 code "Svetlyak" (NATO code - Svetlyak), developed at the Almaz Central Design Bureau for naval units of the border troops of the KGB of the USSR in the late 80s of the last century. The first two ships were built in 2002 (HQ-261/263), the second two in 2011 (HQ-264/265). The third pair was completed in Vladivostok and handed over to Vietnam in 2012 (HQ-266, HQ-267). The cost of building six ships was about $110 million.
Project 10412 patrol boats are designed to carry the border guard service of Vietnam, control state border observance by foreign ships of the economic zone of the country, the protection of natural resources within this zone, the protection of coastal communications and artificial structures, the protection of ships from attacks by terrorist saboteurs, as well as the repulse of an armed attack by an air and underwater enemy - submarines and swimmers.
In addition, the Vietnamese shipyard Z-173 Hong Ha Shipbuilding Company in Haiphong independently developed three 3TT400TP boats. The boat has a displacement of about 400 tons, armed with 76-mm and 30-mm guns. It is expected that at least two more boats of the same type will be built. The basis this project lay down the Russian projects PS-500 and 10412.
Patrol Boats: 26 PKA (2 Project 1041.2, 4 Stallcraft, 14 Project 1400M Grif)
The Navy has eight Soviet minesweepers (four Project 1265, two Project 266, two Project 1258).
Landing forces are represented by: four Soviet-supplied Polnochny SDKs, two Nau Dinhs and three American-built LST-542 tank landing craft, landing craft: 30 DKA.
Logistics and support ships: 29.
The fleet includes a large number of coastal and river boats for various purposes.
Naval aviation. On February 7, 2010, the VNA General Staff decided to form the 954th Naval Aviation Regiment as part of the Navy.
Vietnam has purchased three CASA C-212 Aviacar 400 series military transport aircraft.
The Vietnamese Navy also received: two EC225 Super Puma helicopters for patrol and search and rescue operations; six De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter series 400 seaplanes (Canadian company Viking Air delivered between 2012 and 2014), seven Ka-27 helicopters.
Marine Corps -27 thousand people. It has a naval aviation wing with ES-225, Ka-28 and K-32 helicopters.
Helicopter ES-225
The Coast Guard Forces (Cảnh sát biển Việt Nam) are composed of more than 40 thousand people and are represented by the Coast Guard Corps, which includes patrol and coastal boats, about 34 boats, as well as three C-212MRA aircraft.
Coastal Defense Missile Troops: The troops are equipped with Russian and Indian missile systems. The Vietnamese People's Navy already independently produces Soviet anti-ship missiles P-5D (URAV Navy index - 4D95, according to NATO classification SS-N-3c Shaddock), with an increased range of up to 550 km. firing range.
The Vietnamese People's Navy includes the 679th Missile Brigade, which consists of three divisions. Russia also delivered to Vietnam in 2010-2011 two mobile coastal missile systems (PBRK) "Bastion-P" with supersonic anti-ship missiles 3M55 "Onyx". The Bastion PBRK includes: four K-340P self-propelled launchers on the MZKT-7930 Astrolog chassis (crew - 3 people), two anti-ship missiles per launcher, a K-380R combat control vehicle based on KamAZ-43101 (crew - 4 person); transport-loading machines. The missiles themselves are stored in transport and launch containers, which facilitates operation and increases the service life of anti-ship missiles. Additionally, the Monolit-B coastal complex for long-range over-the-horizon detection and tracking of surface targets or a target designation helicopter complex can be used.
The coastal anti-ship defense complex is designed to protect the sea coast with a length of over 600 km. and destruction of surface ships of various classes and types operating as part of amphibious formations, convoys, ship and aircraft carrier strike groups, as well as single ships and ground radio-contrast targets in conditions of intense fire and electronic countermeasures.
Personnel training. The Naval Academy of Vietnam, with headquarters in Nha Trang (the capital of Khanh Hoa province in central Vietnam on the coast of the South China Sea, 1280 km from Hanoi and 439 km from Ho Chi Minh City), is the military academy of the VNF. The academy trains officers and technical personnel for the fleet.
In general, the Vietnam People's Army has a very significant military potential. But the VNA command believes that a comprehensive re-equipment of the branches of the armed forces is necessary in order to increase the combat potential. Realizing that much depends on military-technical cooperation, the Communist Party and the Government of Vietnam are striving to establish friendly relations with countries producing weapons and military equipment. At the same time, much attention is paid to equipping the navy. Modernization and equipping of the fleet with modern weapons and military equipment with high quality parameters is a priority task in the general plan for the modernization of the armed forces. Today, Vietnam is becoming a major maritime power, and the Vietnamese People's Army ensures the sovereignty and independence of the state, being a reliable institution for ensuring national security.
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The Vietnamese armed forces are referred to as the People's Army of Vietnam (NAV) and consist of ground forces, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard and Coast Guard.
The date of creation of the NAV is considered to be December 22, 1944, when the “armed propaganda group” of the Viet Minh was created under the leadership of Vo Nguyen Giap.
There were decades revolutionary war- first against the French colonialists (1945-1954), then against South Vietnam and the Americans who supported it (1954-1975).
The wars continued after the departure of the Americans and the fall of Saigon until the very beginning of the 90s - against the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, various rebels in Laos and in southern Vietnam.
Finally, from the Chinese invasion of northern Vietnam in early 1979, in an attempt to save the crumbling allied Khmer Rouge regime, the border conflict with the PRC continued until the very normalization in 1991. And now it is the big northern neighbor that is the main probable adversary of Vietnam.
According to the Charter of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the army is under the "absolute, undivided and all-pervading leadership" of the Party (it is simply called Dang in Vietnamese).
The leadership is carried out by the Central Military Commission, headed by general secretary parties. His deputy is the Minister of Defense of Vietnam - this post is held by the most senior of the Vietnamese military.
The commission includes the president and the prime minister of the country, deputy ministers of defense, the head of the Main Political Directorate of the army (this post is occupied by the second-ranking military man) and his deputies, the chief of the general staff, commanders of the armed forces and military districts.
The Vietnamese People's Army remains the most powerful army in Southeast Asia, currently numbering 482,000 regular forces and 3 million locals. The country spends 5% of GDP on defense. They serve in Vietnam on conscription for 2 years. Now girls can serve.
Weapons to Vietnam were traditionally supplied by the USSR / Russia, in recent years Israeli weapons have also been purchased for sappers, and issues of military cooperation with other countries are being worked out.
The ranking system corresponds to world traditions, except that all military ranks have original Vietnamese names, for example, colonel is “fuong ta”.
(this is generally characteristic of the Vietnamese language, where it is customary to invent your own words for foreign things, and not borrow foreign terms).
Only the highest ranks are called in their own way - in the NAV, after the colonel, there are senior colonel, junior general, middle general, senior general and great general. The latter in Vietnam can be only one and he holds the post of Minister of Defense.
The ranks are identical in ground forces, air force, border guard and coast guard. Only in the fleet are already admirals.
Duplication is observed at all levels, there is a commander and a political commissar, usually on an equal footing military ranks. At the same time, political commissars are not subordinate to the Ministry of Defense, but to the completely independent Main Political Directorate of the Army.
The ground forces do not have a separate command, all ground units, army corps, military districts and various special forces such as sappers are subordinate to the Ministry of Defense.
The territory of the country is divided into 9 military districts.
The main forces of the army are concentrated in 4 corps, one is poetically called the Corps of Inevitable Victory, the other three in geography - the Fragrant River (Huong), the Central Highlands and the Mekong Delta. The first two corps are now deployed in the capital area and near the border with China, the deployment of the other two corresponds to their name.
Corps headquarters are located in Tam Diepe (Ninh Binh Province), Bak Giang, Pleiku and Zi'an (Binh Duong Province).
Each corps includes 3 infantry divisions, a tank unit, separate air defense regiments, artillery, engineers, signalmen. Special Forces sappers are subordinate to their own command.
Each infantry division consists of three infantry regiments
All parts are numbered, and by number it is easy to establish its origin. Three-digit numbers have regiments and divisions formed in the north of Vietnam, one or two digits in the number are former units of the NLF (Viet Cong). The composition of the name of the parts includes the awards assigned to them.
Six infantry divisions formed in the early 50s during the war with the French colonialists - the 304th, 308th, 312th, 316th, 320th and 325th - bear the honorary names of the "iron and steel divisions" and have colorful names. So the 316th, whose fighters hoisted the flag over Dien Bien Phu, bears the full name of the "316th Order of Ho Chi Minh Miscanthus Division."
(Miscanthus is such an ornamental grass, a terrible weed that is practically impossible to get rid of.)
The tank fleet has not been updated since the beginning of the 80s, although at the beginning of the 21st century the Israelis modernized the Vietnamese T-54s. The same applies to infantry fighting vehicles, the local forces still use the M-113 left over from the South Vietnamese army.
The main tank is the T-62, assembled into two (202nd and 203rd) tank brigades and one separate (273rd) tank regiment. 201st tank brigade equipped with T-54, 405th - PT-76. Also, a large number of tanks of various modifications are stored in local units.
In recent years, Vietnam has made the development of the fleet and aviation a priority, due to the aggravation of the situation around the disputed islands in the South China (called the East Sea in Vietnam) Sea.
The NAV Air Force now has 3 air divisions and 6 air defense divisions. The main aircraft for many years were the MiG-21 and Su-22, but in recent years Vietnam has been changing them to the Su-27 and Su-30 purchased in Russia.
For air defense, S-300 systems are being purchased.
The Vietnamese fleet has 7 frigates, 11 corvettes, 5 submarines and about a hundred other ships. In the coming years, Vietnam will receive 2 more Gepards from Russian shipyards.
Negotiations are underway with the Dutch on the construction of the UDC. The main base of the Vietnamese fleet is Haiphong.
related posts:
Creation of the first detachments of regular forces
December 22, 1944 is considered the date of creation of the Vietnam People's Army. On this day, the first detachment of regular forces was created, commanded by Vo Nguyen Giap.
At the time of formation, the detachment consisted of 34 fighters, armed with 1 light machine gun, 17 rifles, 2 pistols and 14 flintlock rifles. On December 24 and 25, 1944, the detachment carried out its first combat operations: two posts of the French colonial troops were attacked and captured - a post in Nangan (Caobang province) and a post in Faykhat (Bakkan province).
Later, Vo Nguyen Giap became the first Commander-in-Chief of the VNA.
In April 1945, the number of Viet Minh detachments reached 1,000 fighters, at which time the main military command was created and the first schools for training command personnel were opened.
On May 15, 1945, as a result of the unification of the Homeland Rescue and Liberation Units, the "Vietnam Liberation Army" was created.
In the First Indochina War (1944-1954)
During the ensuing First Indochina War, the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam were completely re-equipped with Chinese support and gained significant combat experience.
On January 7, 1947, the 102nd Infantry Regiment was formed - the first regiment of regular forces that had an army structure.
On November 4, 1949, the Vietnamese armed forces (formerly called Homeland Defense Army) got a new name - Vietnam People's Army. The conscription principle of manning the army was established.
By the end of 1949, the Viet Minh forces numbered about 40 thousand fighters (including two infantry divisions and several separate regiments of regular forces organized along army lines).
In 1951, the first artillery unit of the VNA was created - the 351st artillery battalion.
After the end of the war with France in 1954, the VNA continued to develop.
- On May 7, 1955, the naval forces were created;
- On November 18, 1958, border troops were created;
- in 1959, the first tank unit was formed - the 202nd tank regiment, equipped with T-34-85 tanks
- in 1963 the Air Force was created.
In the Second Indochina War
A serious test for the army was the Second Indochina War, during which the VNA units participated in full-scale hostilities in South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and also provided air defense for North Vietnam.
In American sources dedicated to this period, she is referred to as PAVN (People's Army of Viet Nam, People's Army of Vietnam) or NVA (North Vietnam's Army, North Vietnamese army). In 1975, the war ended with the capture of Saigon.
After the victory, the Vietnamese People's Army received weapons and military equipment of American production, which were previously in service with the South Vietnamese army.
Vietnam People's Army in the Third Indochina War
In the second half of the 1970s, the VNA repelled the border attacks of the Cambodian Khmer Rouge, occupied Cambodia from 1979 to 1989, and was also located on the territory of Laos. In 1979, she took part in repelling the aggression of China.
Current state
Structure
All VNA units are in one of three groups: Main Forces ( Chủlực), local forces ( Địa phương), People's Defense Forces ( Dân quân-Tự vệ). Each of these groups has its own reserve.
As part of the VNA, there are the following types of troops:
- Ground forces
- Border Guard Force (Biên phòng Việt Nam)
- Navy (Hải quân nhân dân Việt Nam)
- Marines
- coast guard forces
- air force and air defense
VNA units are often involved in agricultural work and aftermath natural Disasters.
The structure of the ground forces is as follows:
- 1st Military Region (Northeast Vietnam)- 2 infantry divisions
- 2nd Military Region (northwest Vietnam): 2 infantry divisions, 1 infantry regiment, 1 tank regiment, air defense brigade, engineering brigade, 5 industrial defense units.
- 3rd Military Region (northern Vietnam): 2 infantry divisions, 2 tank regiments, 2 infantry regiments, artillery brigade, air defense brigade, industrial facilities defense brigade.
- Capital Defense Command: infantry division, artillery regiment, armored battalion
- 4th Military Region (northern Vietnam): 3 infantry divisions, industrial facilities defense brigade, air defense brigade, engineering brigade, tank regiment
- 5th Military Region (central Vietnam): 3 infantry divisions, artillery regiment, engineer brigade
- 7th Military Region (Southern Vietnam): 4 infantry divisions
- 9th Military Region (Southern Vietnam): 4 infantry divisions, engineer brigade, artillery brigade
Separate parts:
- 1st Corps (northern Vietnam): 4 infantry divisions, air defense division, tank brigade, artillery brigade, engineering brigade
- 2nd Corps (on the territory of the 1st military district): 3 infantry divisions, an air defense division, a tank brigade, an artillery brigade, an engineering brigade
- 3rd Corps (on the territory of the 5th military district): 3 infantry divisions, tank regiment, artillery regiment, SOF regiment, engineer regiment
- 4th Corps (on the territory of the 7th military district): 3 infantry divisions, air defense regiment, artillery regiment, engineer regiment, SOF regiment
Equipment and weapons
At present, the Vietnamese People's Army has mainly weapons of Soviet and Chinese production. The specific share of Soviet weapons increased in the late 1970s due to the cooling of Vietnamese-Chinese relations.
According to the IISS The Military Balance for 2010, the Vietnam People's Army had the following equipment at its disposal.
| Weapons and weapons of the Vietnam People's Army as of 2010 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Production | Purpose | Quantity | Notes | |||
| Medium Tanks | |||||||
| T-34 | USSR USSR | medium tank | 45 | ||||
| T-54/T-55 | USSR USSR | medium tank | 850 | ||||
| Type 59 | PRC PRC | medium tank | 350 | ||||
| T-62 | USSR USSR | medium tank | 70 | ||||
| Light Tanks | |||||||
| Type 62/Type 63 | PRC PRC | light tank | 320 | ||||
| PT-76 | USSR USSR | light tank | 300 | ||||
| infantry fighting vehicles | |||||||
| BMP-1/BMP-2 | USSR USSR | Infantry fighting vehicle | 300 | ||||
| Armored reconnaissance vehicles | |||||||
| BRDM-1/BRDM-2 | USSR USSR | BRDM | 100 | ||||
| armored personnel carriers | |||||||
| BTR-40/BTR-50/BTR-60/BTR-152 | USSR USSR | armored personnel carrier | 1100 | ||||
| M113A3 | USA USA | armored personnel carrier | 200 | ||||
| Type-63 | PRC PRC | armored personnel carrier | 80 | ||||
| Operational-tactical missile systems | |||||||
| R-300 | USSR USSR | operational-tactical missile system | |||||
| Multiple launch rocket systems | |||||||
| Type 63 (MLRS) | PRC PRC | MLRS | 360 | ||||
| BM-21 "Grad" | USSR USSR | MLRS | 350 | ||||
| BM-14 | USSR USSR | MLRS | |||||
| Self-propelled field artillery | |||||||
| 2S3 "Acacia" | USSR USSR | self-propelled howitzer 152 mm | 30 | ||||
| 2S9 "Nona-C" | USSR USSR | self-propelled 120 mm | |||||
| Towed field artillery (about 2300 units) | |||||||
| M-1944 | USSR USSR | field gun 100 mm | |||||
| M101 | USA USA | howitzer 105 mm | |||||
| D-30 | USSR USSR | 122 mm towed howitzer | |||||
| M-30 | USSR USSR | 122 mm towed howitzer | |||||
| D-74 | USSR USSR | 122 mm gun | |||||
| M46 | USSR USSR | 130 mm gun | |||||
| D-20 | USSR USSR | 152 mm howitzer gun | |||||
| M-114 | USA USA | 155 mm howitzer gun | |||||
| mortars | |||||||
| BM-37 | USSR USSR | 82 mm mortar | |||||
| M-43 | USSR USSR | 120 mm mortar | |||||
| M-43 | USSR USSR | 160 mm mortar | |||||
| anti-tank artillery | |||||||
| SU-100 | USSR USSR | Assault gun 100 mm | |||||
| SU-122 | USSR USSR | Assault gun 122 mm | |||||
| T-12 | USSR USSR | anti-tank gun 100 mm | |||||
| Anti-tank missile systems | |||||||
| 9K11 "Baby" | USSR USSR | portable ATGM | |||||
| Air defense technology | |||||||
| ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" | USSR USSR | self-propelled anti-aircraft gun | |||||
| 9K38 "Needle" | USSR USSR | MANPADS | |||||
| S-300 PMU1 | USSR USSR/Russia Russia | SAM | 2 divisions | ||||
| Helicopters | |||||||
| Mi-24 | USSR USSR | transport and combat helicopter | 26 | ||||
| Ka-25 | USSR USSR | anti-submarine helicopter | 3 | ||||
| Ka-28 | USSR USSR | multipurpose helicopter | 10 | ||||
| Ka-32 | USSR USSR | multipurpose helicopter | 2 | ||||
| Mi-6 | USSR USSR | transport helicopter | 4 | ||||
| Mi-17 | USSR USSR | multipurpose helicopter | 30 | ||||
| Bell UH-1 Iroquois | USA USA | multipurpose helicopter | 12 | ||||
| PZL W-3 Sokol | Poland Poland | multipurpose helicopter | 4 | ||||
| Aircraft | |||||||
| MiG-21 | USSR USSR | multirole fighter | 140 | ||||
| Su-22M4 | USSR USSR | fighter-bomber | 53 | Part performs reconnaissance missions | |||
| Su-27SK | Russia, Russia | multirole fighter | 7 | ||||
| Su-30MKK | Russia, Russia | multirole fighter | 4 | ||||
| Be-12 | USSR USSR | anti-submarine amphibious aircraft | 4 | ||||
| An-2 | USSR USSR | light transport aircraft | 12 | ||||
| An-26 | USSR USSR | transport aircraft | 12 | ||||
| Yak-40 | USSR USSR | VIP aircraft | 4 | ||||
| Yak-18 | USSR USSR | training aircraft | 10 | ||||
| Aero L-39 Albatros | Czech Republic Czech Republic | combat training aircraft | 18 | ||||
| MiG-21UM | USSR USSR | combat training aircraft | 10 | ||||
| Su-27UBK | USSR USSR | combat training aircraft | 5 | ||||
In May 2013, the Vietnamese army successfully tested its own UAV
Major E. Belov
The ground forces (SV) are the main branch of the armed forces of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) and the main "firepower" of the Vietnamese People's Army (VNA).
The Vietnamese Armed Forces consist of a regular component - the Vietnamese People's Army (500 thousand people) and troops of the Ministry of Public Security (30 thousand), as well as an irregular component - the people's militia and self-defense forces.
The formation of ground forces in Vietnam (until 1954 the official name of the country was the Democratic Republic of Vietnam), initiated by Ho Chi Minh * in 1946, was carried out in the context of the struggle of the Vietnamese people for independence from the colonial rule of France. China was directly involved in their creation, providing assistance to the republic with specialists, weapons and military equipment. The first formation of the ground forces of the future VNA - an infantry division - was deployed in 1949.
Vietnam's ground forces play a key role both in maintaining domestic political stability and in fulfilling the tasks of national defense of the state. According to the "White Paper" of 2009, the main tasks of this type of armed forces are: protection of the state system, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country; preventing the outbreak of armed conflicts and wars; maintenance of peace and stability for the purpose of industrialization and development of the Vietnamese economy. In addition, the ground forces are entrusted with the functions of "promoting the sustainable economic growth of the state, combating poverty and eliminating natural and man-made disasters."
The concept of the use of ground forces of the VNA was formed taking into account national military traditions, tactics and the foundations of operational art used in the armed forces of the USSR and China, as well as significant combat experience gained during the Vietnam War (1957-1975), the border conflict with China (1979) and wars with Cambodia (1979-1989). The officers and soldiers of the Vietnamese army are traditionally distinguished by high moral and psychological qualities and, as a result, by the appropriate fighting spirit.
At present, the number of ground forces of the Vietnam People's Army is about 400 thousand people (60% of the total personnel of the armed forces). After mobilization deployment, it may increase to 600,000. The military-trained reserve exceeds 1.5 million people.
According to their purpose, the ground forces of the VNA are divided into field and local. Operational management of them is entrusted to the chief of the general staff of the Vietnam People's Army, who is actually the commander of this branch of the armed forces.
Field troops (about 350 thousand people)- the most numerous component of the regular army. According to their capabilities, they are capable of independently or in cooperation with formations of other types of the Armed Forces to conduct operations ( fighting) anywhere in the country. Field troops are organizationally united into seven military districts, one command (capital) and four army corps of the reserve of the main command (directly subordinated to the chief of the general staff of the Armed Forces).
The combat strength of the field troops includes: 61 divisions (only three of them are mechanized), 50 separate regiments of military branches (special purpose, artillery, communications, etc.)? as well as units and support units.
Local troops (about 50 thousand people) are the reserve of the first stage. In a threatened period, they are understaffed to wartime states and, after combat coordination, are able to perform tasks for their intended purpose (as a rule, in areas of permanent deployment). In organizational terms, the military formations of local troops are reduced to separate regiments, battalions and companies. In peacetime, in administrative terms, these units and subunits are directly subordinate to the military departments (departments) of local authorities, and on issues of combat use - to the headquarters of military districts. They also include some enterprises of the military industry, as well as defense-economic formations.
SV are equipped with weapons and military equipment (WME) mainly of Soviet (Russian) and Chinese production. In addition, there is a small amount of captured American weapons and military equipment left over from the Vietnam War.
In service with SV consist of more than 1,300 tanks (T-54, T-55, T-62, PT-76, T-59), about 300 infantry fighting vehicles (mainly BMP-1 and BMP-2), 2,500 armored combat vehicles ( BTR-50, BTR-60, BTR-152, BTR-40, BRDM, BRDM-2, Ml 13), more than 9 thousand mortars of various calibers, 380 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS, BM-21 "Grad", BM -14, BM-13), more than 1,000 MANPADS (Strela-2M, Igla-1).
Artillery units of the ground forces are armed with more than 3 thousand field artillery guns (155-mm cannons, 152-mm self-propelled howitzers (SG) "Acacia", 152-mm howitzers D-20.130-mm guns M-46.122-mm SG "Gvozdika ", 122-mm howitzers D-30, etc.), 3.8 thousand units of anti-tank artillery (calibers 100, 85, 76 and 57 mm), over 3 thousand anti-aircraft artillery guns (ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" , ZSU-23-2, 100-mm KS-19, 85-mm and 57-mm S-60 anti-aircraft guns, etc.).
The main formation of the ground forces of the Vietnam People's Army is infantry division. Organizationally, it includes three regiments, as well as units of divisional subordination (medical, vehicular, communications and engineering battalions, reconnaissance and repair companies). AT infantry regiment there are three infantry battalions and three divisions - artillery, anti-aircraft and mortar.
The number of personnel of the division at full strength, depending on the place of deployment, is from 5 to 12.5 thousand people. It is armed with up to 100 mortars, 40 anti-tank artillery guns, 60 anti-aircraft guns, 13 armored personnel carriers and six MLRS.
The motorized infantry division of the ground forces has the highest combat capabilities in terms of firepower. It includes three motorized infantry and one tank regiment. This formation is armed with more than 30 tanks, about 100 infantry fighting vehicles, 150 armored personnel carriers, six MLRS, 50 field artillery guns, 70 mortars, 20 ATGMs, 36 anti-tank artillery guns, 30 MANPADS, and 30 anti-aircraft guns.
Acquisition ground forces of the Vietnam People's Army is carried out in accordance with the law on universal conscription, as well as on a contract basis. Military service is defined by the country's constitution as an "honorable duty," and citizens of the SRV are obliged to "take part in the construction of national defense." Call for military service
subject to males aged 18 to 25 years. Service life 18 months.
The officers of the ground forces of the VNA are recruited at the expense of persons who have graduated from the military educational establishments Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam. Recruitment there is carried out on a competitive basis from among civilians and military personnel under the age of 23 years. Preferential conditions for admission are provided to citizens who have completed military service on the islands of the Spratly archipelago, as well as representatives of national minorities (Thai, Muong, Khmer, etc.).
The technical equipment, training and high morale of the military personnel of the Vietnam People's Army in general allow them to carry out their tasks in in full. However, as Western military experts note, there are a number of serious problems in the country's Armed Forces.
Thus, many types of weapons and military equipment The armed forces of the country, and the ground forces in particular, are significantly outdated and require modernization or renewal (up to 50% of weapons and military equipment are out of order). When carrying out operational and combat training activities, there is an insufficient level of training of command and technical staff, low organization of interaction between command and control bodies of various branches of the armed forces, as well as poor skills of military personnel in the use of standard weapons.
The current problems also include the continuing decline in the quality of the conscripts (poor health, moral and physical unpreparedness for service). The trend towards an increase in the number of persons not covered by military registration continues (exceeds 40%). In addition, the existing capabilities of the military education system in the country, as well as the current state of the educational material and technical base, do not meet modern requirements for the training of highly professional personnel.
The construction of the Vietnamese ground forces is carried out in accordance with the plan for the reform of the armed forces, calculated for the period up to 2020. The main attention is paid to maintaining the combat capabilities of formations and units at a level that allows to ensure the protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.
In the course of the reforms, it is planned to complete measures to improve the organizational and staffing structure of this service of the Armed Forces with their subsequent re-equipment with modern equipment. The issue of modernization of armored vehicles is acute. In the field of arms and military equipment purchases, it is planned to purchase, first of all, communications equipment, anti-tank systems, engineering and automotive equipment, as well as ammunition for small arms and artillery weapons.
In formations and units of the ground forces during combat training activities, the main attention is paid to working out issues of organizing and conducting defensive operations, combat operations to repel an enemy air attack, as well as improving interaction with the formations of other power structures in the performance of tasks to ensure domestic political stability.
The ground forces reform plan provides for the following: increasing the effectiveness of ongoing exercises; improving the organization of management of units and subunits; development of tactics and methods of conducting combat operations in the conditions of the use of high-precision weapons by the enemy; improvement of the system of personnel training for participation in activities to eliminate the consequences of natural disasters.
It is also planned to increase the level of mobilization readiness of the reserve components of the ground forces. To this end, unified standards for the number of personnel of cadre formations and units have been developed (in divisions - no more than 100 people, in regiments and brigades - 50).
As a result of the implementation of the program for the development of the ground forces of the VNA, it is planned to create a mobile, compact branch of the armed forces equipped with modern weapons and military equipment that will be able to effectively perform external and internal functions of protecting the state.
The emergence of new challenges and threats to the national security of the country determines the desire of the Vietnamese leadership to create a rapid reaction force as part of the ground forces. This component will be formed on the basis of special forces units.
Thus, despite the existing financial and organizational difficulties, the ground forces of the Vietnam People's Army are the most combat-ready among the states of Southeast Asia. The problem of insufficient technical equipment of this type of armed forces is solved by maintaining a large number of personnel, intensive combat training, as well as through ongoing activities aimed at developing a high ideological motivation of military personnel to protect the country and preserve its territorial integrity.
* Leader of the Vietnamese and international communist movement and the national liberation movement, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Vietnam, President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
Foreign military review. 2015, №2, P.47-52
Activity
During World War II, he fought both the Japanese occupiers of Vietnam and the French colonial administration subordinate to them.
At the same time, the Viet Minh provided assistance to the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition - in particular, by transmitting intelligence data about Japanese forces in French Indochina.
During this period, Viet Minh leaders approached OSS representatives in China four times with a proposal to intensify sabotage against Japanese troops in French Indochina if the American side provided them with weapons, but all these proposals were rejected. In total, one Thompson submachine gun and two Colt pistols were received from the USA through the OSS line; six more .38 caliber revolvers and a batch of cartridges were handed over to Viet Minh representatives by OSS officer Paul E. Helliwell as payment for rescuing three downed American pilots. There is evidence that in the summer of 1945, American instructors trained 200 Viet Minh partisans.
In addition, during this period of time, the Viet Minh received assistance from France (after the signing of an agreement on the fight against Japan in March 1944, 165 Remington rifles and 40 carbines were received on March 23, 1944) and the Kuomintang government of China.
By the time Japan surrendered, in August 1945, support from Western countries has been terminated.
Vietnam National Army
The National Army of Vietnam was created in 1949 by France in opposition to the Viet Minh, when the puppet State of Vietnam was proclaimed by the colonial forces. Together with the French Expeditionary Force, the National Army of Vietnam took part in the First Indochina War, but was distinguished by low combat capability and did not enjoy the confidence of the French. The Vietnamese National Army was disbanded after the 1954 Geneva Accords.
Lien Viet United National Front
Lien Viet (Viet. Liên Việt, short for Vietnam. Hội Liên hiệp quốc dân Việt Nam, Hoi Lien Hyep Quoc Zan Vietnam, "National Union of Vietnam") is a patriotic organization in Vietnam, founded in 1946 and played an important role in unifying the Vietnamese people to fight the French colonialists during the War of Resistance 1945-1954.
Story
The Union was established on May 29, 1946 in Hanoi by a committee of 27 people as a socio-political organization with the aim of uniting all the patriotic forces and people of Vietnam, regardless of party, caste, religion, political views to make Vietnam an independent, united, democratic and prosperous country.
The Viet Minh front, which retained its organizational independence, a number of organizations adjoining the Viet Minh or included in it, as well as parties and individuals who stood outside the Viet Minh front, entered the Union.
Main members of Lien Viet:
Viet Minh (Việt Minh),
Vietnamese General Confederation of Workers
Society for the Study of Marxism-Leninism
Vietnam Women's Union (Vietnamese: Hội Liên hiệp Phụ nữ Việt Nam, founded October 1946),
Federation of Vietnamese Youth (Vietnamese Hội Liên hiệp Thanh niên Việt Nam, founded in 1946),
Democratic Party of Vietnam (Vietnamese: Đảng Dân chủ Việt Nam, founded in 1944),
Vietnam Socialist Party (Vietnamese: Đảng Xã hội Việt Nam, founded in July 1946).
For several months, Lien Viet included right-wing bourgeois-nationalist parties:
National Party of Vietnam
Vietnamese Revolutionary Union
In the future, only a small progressive-minded group of Dong-min-hoi remained in the Union.
In 1951, the Viet Minh and Lien Viet merged, resulting in the creation of a united national front, which retained the name Lien Viet. In March 1951, the Vietnam Workers' Party (Vietnamese: Đảng Lao động Việt Nam) officially entered Lien Viet. The front played a big role in rallying and mobilizing the masses to fight the French invaders during the First Indochina War.
On September 10, 1955, at the national congress of the front, a decision was made to dissolve Lien Viet and create the Fatherland Front of Vietnam on its basis.
Leaders
Ton Duc Thang (Chairman, March 1951-1955)
Ho Chi Minh (honorary president, 1946-1955)
Armed Forces of South Vietnam
The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARV) - (Viet. Quân lực Việt Nam Cộng hòa (Quân Lực VNCH)) is the armed forces of the state of the Republic of Vietnam (also known as South Vietnam), created in 1955 and ceased to exist in 1975.
The armed forces of South Vietnam consisted of three branches of service:
ground forces (Vietnamese Lục quân Việt Nam Cộng hòa);
navy (Vietnamese Hải quân Việt Nam Cộng hòa);
air force (Vietnamese Không lực Việt Nam Cộng hòa).
South Vietnamese soldiers in battle. 1961
Story
The predecessor of the ARV was the National Army of Vietnam, created in 1949, when France formally granted self-government to Vietnam, then a colony of France. Soldiers of the National Army, together with the French Expeditionary Force, took part in the Indochina War. The units of the Vietnamese army, as a rule, played a secondary role in the hostilities, since they were distinguished by low combat capability and did not enjoy the confidence of the French.
The Vietnamese National Army was disbanded after the 1954 Geneva Accords. The pro-American politician Ngo Dinh Diem, who came to power in South Vietnam, believed that the implementation of the Geneva Accords would inevitably lead to the establishment of control over South Vietnam by the communists.
On January 20, 1955, the governments of the United States, France and South Vietnam signed an agreement on the training of the South Vietnamese army of 100,000 regular troops and 150,000 reservists. General leadership was entrusted to the French General Paul Ely, military advisers, weapons and equipment were committed to provide the United States.
In violation of the agreements, on October 26, 1955, the creation of the Republic of Vietnam was proclaimed, on the same day the creation of the South Vietnamese army was announced.
By the end of 1958, the government of South Vietnam had the following armed formations at its disposal: armed forces - 150 thousand military personnel; civil defense corps - 60 thousand people, police corps - 45 thousand people, rural guard detachments - up to 100 thousand people.
Initially, the ARV was created on the model of the American army and with the active participation of American military advisers. The army immediately became the mainstay of Ngo Dinh Diem's regime. It was entrusted with the task of repelling a possible invasion of the army of North Vietnam. When in the late 1950s the country developed Civil War between government forces and communist guerrillas, the focus was shifted to waging a counter-guerrilla war.
In 1960, there were 700 US military advisers in South Vietnam.
In May 1961, at a meeting between US Vice President L. Johnson and South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, an agreement was reached to increase US military and financial assistance.
On October 11, 1961, the US government reported to Saigon that "America will assist the government of the Republic of Vietnam in the fight against guerrillas", General Maxwell D. Taylor was sent to South Vietnam to assess the needs of the South Vietnamese army. On December 12, 1961, the first two helicopter squadrons transferred by the United States for the South Vietnamese army arrived in South Vietnam.
On December 14, 1961, US President John F. Kennedy, in his letter to Ngo Dinh Diem, announced that US support would be "immediately increased" again. As a result, if in 1961 South Vietnam ranked third in terms of military aid received from the United States (after South Korea and Taiwan), then since 1962 he took first place: in 1950-1963 - 1443.0 million dollars; in 1964-1969 - 5703.0 million dollars, in 1970-1976 - not less than 11042.0 million dollars. The exact amount of American military assistance to South Vietnam is difficult to ascertain, since the appropriations were partly included in the budget of the US Department of Defense between 1970 and 1975.
As a result, already in 1961-1962, the number of South Vietnamese armed forces was increased from 150 thousand to 170 thousand soldiers and officers, the number of "civil guard" (civil guard) - from 60 thousand to 120 thousand people. At the end of 1962, the number of the South Vietnamese army was 200 thousand people.
At the end of 1963, there were 17,000 military specialists, advisers, instructors, and US Air Force pilots in South Vietnam.
In 1962, four corps were formed, each of which was assigned a certain area of responsibility (tactical zone):
Map of South Vietnam with corps tactical zones marked
I Corps - the northern provinces of the country, closest to North Vietnam. Headquarters in Da Nang.
II Corps - Central Highlands. Headquarters in Pleiku.
III Corps - provinces adjacent to Saigon. Headquarters in Saigon.
IV Corps - the Mekong Delta and the southern provinces of the country. Headquarters in Can Tho.
A unique feature of the ARV hulls was that they were both administrative divisions. The corps commander handled all military and civil affairs on his territory. In addition to regular units, the RAF included Regional Forces (Regional Forces, RF) and People's Forces (People Forces, PF). Regional forces operated within their provinces and were paramilitary formations. The People's Forces were local village-level militias with minimal military training and armed only with obsolete small arms. It is noteworthy that one of the two main opponents of the ARVN - the Viet Cong - had almost the same structure.
During the course of the war, the ARV steadily increased in numbers: by 1972, it already had about a million military personnel. In 1961-1964, the army was constantly defeated in battles with the guerrillas of the NLF. By 1965, the situation was so critical that American experts predicted the possibility of overthrowing the government of South Vietnam by communist forces. The reasons for this were a number of ARV-specific problems:
A 12-year-old South Vietnamese paratrooper with an M79 grenade launcher. 1968
The politicization of the leadership of the army led to the fact that the ARV became the main lever of the numerous coups that took place in South Vietnam in 1963-1967. The inability of the ARV on its own to resist partisan movement was one of the key factors behind the US administration's decision to send US ground troops to Vietnam. In parallel with this, the United States began rearming the South Vietnamese army.
As of 1968, the military budget of South Vietnam was 36.8 billion piastres (312 million US dollars), which was 60% higher than in 1967.
the ground forces numbered 370 thousand military personnel (a total of 160 battalions, consisting of 10 infantry divisions; one parachute division; one special forces group; 20 ranger battalions; 10 tank battalions; six marine battalions; 26 artillery battalions, as well as training, rear and auxiliary units), while some of the battalions were not fully staffed. The basis of the tank fleet was made up of American M41 light tanks and French AMX-13V tanks.
the air force consisted of 16 thousand military personnel, 145 combat aircraft (100 A-1 Skyraders; 15 F-5 jet fighters and 20 A-37 attack aircraft), as well as 80 units. light aircraft O-1A, 80 pcs. C-47 and Cessna 180 Skywagon transport aircraft and about 100 H-34 Choctaw helicopters
the naval forces numbered 24 thousand people and were armed with 63 combat and auxiliary ships (including 8 escort ships, 3 minesweepers, 22 landing craft, 22 artillery boats) and a river "mosquito fleet" of 350 motor junks of the type "saipan";
irregular forces consisted of 700 companies of "territorial forces" (142 thousand people), 4000 platoons of "local forces" (143 thousand people), detachments of "civil defense forces" (40 thousand people) and police. The irregular units were armed mainly with light small arms (including obsolete models), but the police were armed with several armored personnel carriers and helicopters.
