Allied Participation In Vietnam

Author : Department of Department of the Army
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 176 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (438 download)

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Download or read book Vietnam Studies: the Development and Training of the South Vietnamese Army, 1950-1972 written by Department of Department of the Army and published by . This book was released on 2021-07-26 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United States Army has met an unusually complex challenge in Southeast Asia. In conjunction with the other services, the Army has fought in support of its national policy of assisting an emerging nation to develop governmclllal processes of its own choosing, free of outside coercion. In addition to the usual problems of waging g armed connect!' the assignment in Southeast Asia has required superimposing the immensely sophisticated tasks of a modern army upon an underdeveloped environment and adapting them to demands covering its wide spectrum. These involved helping to fulfill lhe basic needs of an agTari a population, dealing with the frustrations of antiguerrilla operations, and conducting conventional campaigns against well-trained and determined regular units. It is still necessary for the Army to continue to prepare for other challenges th:lt may lie ahead. While cogniz;mt that history never repeats itsel[ exactly and that no army e,'er profited [rom trying to meet a new challenge in terms o[ the old one, the Army nevertheless stands to benefit immensely from a study of its experience, its Shortcomings no less than its achievements. Aware that solely years must elapse before the official histories will provide a detailed and objeni\'e analysis of the experience in Southeast A,ia, we have sought an (orum whereby some of the more $.1.l in aspects of that experience can be made available now, At the request of the Chief of Staff, a representative group of senior officers who served in important posts in Vietnam and who still carry a heavy burden of day-to-day responsibilities has prepared a series of monographs. These studies should be of great value in helping the Army develop future operational concepts while at the same time contributing to the historical record and providing the American public with an interim report on the performance of men and officers who have responded, as others have through our history. to exacting and trying demands. ur history. to exacting and trying demands. The reader should be reminded that most of the writing was accomplished while the war in Vietnam was at its peak, and the monographs frequently refer to items of the past as if they were taking place in the present. records, with additional material from published and unpublished secondary works, from debriefing reports and interviews with key participants, and from the personal experience of the author. To facilitate security clearance, annotation and detailed bibliography have been omitted from the published version; a fully documented account with bibliography is filed with the U. S. Army Center of j\'lilitary History. Brigadier General James Lawton Collins, Jr., presently the Chief of Military History, U.S. Army, has the wealth of experience required to tell the story of all ied participation in the Vietnam War. After having served in Korea as the Assistant Commander, I Corps (Group) Artillery, General Collins had twO tours of duty in Vietnam that involved close liaison with all nations participating in the allied effort. In 1964 he was assigned as the senior U.S. adviser to lhe Vietnamese Regional Forces and Popular Forces, and in May 1965 was named Special Assistant to the Commander, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. In the latter capacity General Collins was the personal representative of General West· moreland to the Vietnamese Joint General Staff on all matters pertaining to the co-ordination of U.S., Vietnamese, and allied forces operations. For his outstanding service in Vietnam, the Re· public of Vietnam awarded him the Nalional Order and the Army Distinguished Service Medal, two of its mOSt cove ted awards.