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
