This thesis examines the effect of civil defense forces on a counterinsurgency campaign through a study of the Civilian Irregular Defense Group in the Republic of Vietnam. This thesis challenges a common U.S. Army viewpoint on counterinsurgency...
Focusing efforts toward building security force capability without increasing state capacity is an ineffective strategy to achieve government victory in civil war. The purpose of this monograph is to advance and test the hypothesis that...
In the spring of 1972, North Vietnam launched a massive, three-pronged attack into South Vietnam that was eventually repulsed by South Vietnamese forces, United States (US) advisors and massive amounts of American airpower. The problem is...
This monograph examines whether or not the current U.S. Army Operational Design methodology could increase the effectiveness of airpower. Analysis of existing design literature provides a common understanding of the U.S. Army’s design methodology...
Counterinsurgency and unconventional war have dominated both the intellectual focus and the operational employment of the U.S. Army for the last decade, and are expected to remain a prevalent challenge for the foreseeable future. One of the primary...
During the Vietnam War and the years following, there has been a contentious debate regarding the nature of the conflict. Some proponents argue it was an insurgency while others claim it was a conventional war, with each side advocating the...
This study analyzes how the U.S. Army has assimilated the Vietnam War's strategic military legacy. The investigation looks at the body of Vietnam "lessons" literature and the schools of thought regarding Vietnam's legacy. An examination of three...
The thesis addresses the development of the current Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). This topic was chosen because the international community, in consultation with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, has established 2014...
This monograph analyzes and compares all four periods of enemy offensive activities which lasted well into 1969. Seeking to present the Vietnamese point of view, it assesses enemy and friendly strategies, the reactions and combat performance of the...
This is one of a series published by the U.S. Army Center of Military History. They were written by officers who held responsible positions in the Cambodian, Laotian, and South Vietnamese armed forces during the war in Indochina. To evaluate the...
Section I contains a report on air and naval campaigns against North Vietnam and Pacific Command-wide support of the war from June 1964 to July 1968. It discusses command structure, Rolling Thunder Operations, Naval surface operations and Pacific...
"The public statements of North Vietnam's leaders make one thing clear --North Vietnam will not accept President Nixon's offer. Hanoi will continue the war. This posture will be more than propaganda. The genius of the North Vietnamese people is...
During Operation Rolling Thunder, Carrier Air Wing 16 suffered the highest loss rates of any unit in naval aviation during the Vietnam conflict. During three separate cruises on the USS Oriskany (CVA-34), the air wing was continually plagued with...
Major General Melvin Zais, a second generation Russian American, orchestrated the battle between the 29th Regiment of the People's Army of Vietnam and the 101st Airborne Division around Dong Ap Bia (Hamburger Hill), Vietnam. General Zais, focused...
This is one of a series published by the U.S. Army Center of Military History. They were written by officers who held responsible positions in the Cambodian, Laotian, and South Vietnamese armed forces during the war in Indochina. This document...
MACV: The Joint Command in the Years of Withdrawal, 1968--1973, is the second of two volumes that examine the Vietnam conflict from the perspective of the theater commander and his headquarters. It traces the story of the Military Assistance...
This paper analyzes the relevancy of the terms center of gravity and decisive points at the operational level of war in communist insurgencies. It begins by proposing acceptable meanings for the terms center of gravity, decisive points, subversion,...
This research seeks to answer one primary research question: What organizational and institutional factors are hindering effective interagency coordination and unity of effort within the contemporary Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT)? To answer...
During the war years, the Republic of Vietnam and the United States pursued a common goal; their armed forces fought against the same enemy, under the same campaign plan, with the same weapon systems, and in the same environment. The strategic...
General Abrams presents a sound historical example of the practical application of operational art as viewed through the lens of the Army Design Methodology. When General Abrams' assumed command of Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV), he was...