This study is a study of the complicated problem of command and control
in modern warfare. The challenges of command and control during the
Vietnam War provide the basis for the exploration of an enduring matter
of concern to military professionals. The goal of achieving unity of
command is inextricably linked to the creation of a clear and logical
command structure. Getting the command and control right is a precept on
which military professionals pride themselves. A clear command
structure ultimately enables military formations to synchronize actions
towards a common aim or objective. This monograph analyzes the U.S.
military’s transition from advisory to offensive operations during the
Vietnam War, specifically focusing on command structures and their
impact on the synchronization of tactical actions. Despite an already
complex situation brought about through hybrid warfare, policy-makers
and senior commanders compounded the complexity of the war by
establishing inadequate command arrangements. The result was a piecemeal
application of military power remiss of operational coherence. This
study explores the degree to which problems in command and control
frustrated the synchronization of tactical actions.
OBTAIN DOCUMENT: Getting the Command and Control Right: A Vietnam Case Study
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Saturday, February 8, 2014
Getting the Command and Control Right: A Vietnam Case Study
The Influence of the Catholic Church on the Eisenhower Administration's Decision to Directly Intervene in Vietnam
After World War II the United States (U.S.) struggled to counter
communist expansion by establishing a world order that fostered
capitalism. Key to success in the Asian-Pacific region was rebuilding
the Japanese economy as a capitalist power. Toward that end, the U.S.
indirectly supported the French during the First Indochina War to
recolonize and take advantage of the area’s raw materials. The French
failed and agreed in the Geneva Accords to partition the country with a
goal of reunifying North and South Vietnam. The U.S. realized the Viet
Minh would dominate and gain control of the country providing a
communist victory in the region. Unwilling to accept this, the U.S.
pressured Emperor Bao Dai to install Ngo Dinh Diem as Premier of South
Vietnam. This was based in part on Diem and his family’s Catholic
heritage, which led to pressure from leaders in the U.S. who were either
Catholic or sympathetic to the Catholic Church. Ultimately, influence
from the Vietnamese Catholic Church, the American Catholic Church, and
the Vatican would become a factor in the foreign policy decisions by the
Eisenhower Administration as they related to Vietnam. These decisions
led to direct involvement in Vietnam and eventually the Vietnam War.
OBTAIN DOCUMENT: The Influence of the Catholic Church on the Eisenhower Administration's Decision to Directly Intervene in Vietnam
OBTAIN DOCUMENT: The Influence of the Catholic Church on the Eisenhower Administration's Decision to Directly Intervene in Vietnam
Combined Action Platoons in the Vietnam War Unique Counterinsurgency Capability for the Contemporary Operating Environment
In Vietnam, the III Marine Amphibious Force used Combined Action
Platoons (CAPs) as one part of its operational level counterinsurgency
campaign. These platoons provided security assistance to the South
Vietnamese Popular Forces and civic action to the village based
population. To measure the operational effectiveness and the current
relevancy of this specific type of combined action their activities are
evaluated against current Army counterinsurgency doctrine. This
monograph demonstrates the value of the CAPs as one element in the
context of a counterinsurgency campaign, and how this form of combined
action may serve as a tool for Army commanders conducting operational
art in future. Independent operations are not the future of American
warfare in the 21st Century. Contemporary thought about the future of
American warfare is that the “conventional forces of the United States
Army will have an enduring requirement to build the security forces and
security ministries of other countries.” Some form of combined action
will be a required in American military operations for the foreseeable
future. Given this truth, CAPs provide a practical historical example of
a combined action technique that can serve as a tool for the future.
OBTAIN DOCUMENT: Combined Action Platoons in the Vietnam War Unique Counterinsurgency Capability for the Contemporary Operating Environment
OBTAIN DOCUMENT: Combined Action Platoons in the Vietnam War Unique Counterinsurgency Capability for the Contemporary Operating Environment
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