Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and Supreme Commander of the armed forces of the DPRK, inspected a fire competition between the artillery units of the 7th Corps and the 9th Corps of the Korean People’s Army on March 12.
Kim Jong Un was greeted by Army General Kim Su Gil, director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA, Army General Pak Jong Chon, chief of the General Staff of the KPA, Army General Kim Jong Gwan, minister of the People’s Armed Forces of the DPRK, and commanders of KPA large combined units.
The service personnel of the People’s Army were greatly excited to see in the training ground by the sea Kim Jong Un, who provides guidance to the army out of his grand strategic plan to open a heyday of developing the revolutionary armed forces so as to further build up the defence capabilities of the country and make the whole army greet the 75th founding anniversary of the glorious WPK with a brilliant success of making a great leap forward in increasing combat efficiency in the flames of effecting a revolution in the training. They were full of immense fighting will and competitive fever to pour a shower of shells into the targets set by the Party with a firm grit and crack-shot marksmanship trained under the guidance of the Party.
The competition was aimed at suddenly and selectively inspecting and evaluating the combat preparedness of the artillery forces of all the corps that are implementing the Party policy on strengthening the artillery, which was advanced at the Fourth Conference of the KPA Artillerymen, so as to awaken the entire artillery to its sense of mission once again, radically improve the form, content and method of artillery training and kindle the spark for a more vigorous campaign to conduct drills under the simulated conditions of an actual war.
The competition was conducted in such a way as setting the firing sequence by drawing lots, according to which the artillery pieces of various calibres in the corps open fire into the target islet, and choosing the winner by summing up the firing results and the time taken to execute the mission.
At the observation post, the Supreme Leader was briefed on a report on the sequence and method of the competition before inspecting it.
On his order, the corps commanders personally commanded the firing of artillery pieces at the observation post.
When they gave orders to open fire, all the artillery pieces roared, firing the flames to reduce the target islet to a sea of flames in a moment by the spirit of a-match-for-a-hundred soldiers.
The Supreme Leader received a report on the General Staff’s evaluation of the competition results from the Chief of the General Staff.
Praising the militant enthusiasm and attitude of the brave artillerymen who participated in the competition which was organized without previous notice, he reiterated the requirements of the Party’s training on ceaselessly studying the forms and methods of artillery drills and conducting drills under the simulated conditions of an actual war.
In order to make all the artillerymen possess high manoeuvrability and striking capability it is good to hold such drills regularly, frequently organize the inter-corps competitions in the future and arouse the competitiveness among all service personnel ranging from officers to soldiers, he said. He added that if the General Staff frequently organizes such drills in the future, it would help the commanding officers of all the armed forces have a good understanding of the Party’s idea of attaching importance to the artillery, raise their military insight into the use of the artillery and get proficiency in the artillery tactics and fire.
He said that as he has emphasized all the time, the result of firing training is not simply a matter related to the rate of hits but it is the reflection of viewpoint, stand and attitude of commanding officers and soldiers to the Party’s policy on putting the military training, and it also becomes a criterion showing their level of loyalty to the Party, the people and the country. He called on the artillerymen to turn out as one to steadily increase combat efficiency, bearing deep in mind the trust and expectations of the Party that the might of the artillery pieces is precisely that of the People’s Army.
The 7th Corps had an overwhelming victory over the 9th Corps in the firing competition of the artillery pieces of all calibres.
Pak Jong Chon awarded the master gunner certificates, medals and badges to artillery battalions and companies under the 7th Corps which scored excellent marks in the competition.
The Supreme Leader hoped that the current training would serve as an occasion of awakening once again the artillery forces of the People’s Army as a whole and an occasion of giving rise to the training enthusiasm and the competitive spirit. Calling for always bearing deep in mind that modern warfare is precisely the warfare of artillery pieces and the combat preparedness of the artillerymen is exactly that of the People’s Army, he indicated important military tasks for further bolstering the artillery forces of Juche, including the issue for all to voluntarily turn out in bolstering the artillery forces, the issue of maximizing the manoeuvrability of all the artillery units and thoroughly ensuring promptness and accuracy of the fire of artillery pieces, the issue of making strict demands on all the sub-units to conduct firepower trainings as in actual battles in line with the rules, the issue of keeping all the artillery pieces in service on constant combat readiness and the issue of steadily improving the forms, programs and methods of the training under the simulated conditions of an actual war.
Upon his instructions, the commanding officers of the People’s Army and all the participants in the competition were full of confidence in sure victory that they have nothing to be afraid of under the outstanding and tested leadership of the Supreme Leader who steers the cause of building the army along the road of victory with his gifted military wisdom and art of command. They made a firm pledge to flare up more fiercely the flames of training under the uplifted banner of giving priority to training and steadily enhance their combat efficiency and thus defend the socialist homeland shining with the august name of the great Comrade Kim Jong Un as firm as a fortress with the artillery pieces ready to open fire to annihilate the enemies.
KCNA
