Download or read book Operational Social Influence in the Vietnam War written by Thomas F. Pavlik and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shortly after Marine forces landed in Vietnam in March, 1965, leaders in the field began experimenting with pacification/combined action. Although this concept went directly against the military strategy of the top leaders, which involved unlimited combat operations, four Combined Action Platoons were formed into a Combined Action Company in the summer of 1965. The Marine Corps Combined Action Program was viewed by many as one of the only successful pacification programs conducted in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The CAP concept in Vietnam combined a squad of Marines and a platoon of South Vietnamese Popular Forces to assist villages in resisting VC influence. By combining forces and living inside the villages, the Marines believed they could win the "hearts and minds" of the villagers. Although they may not have been aware that the science of social influence even existed, the Marines who were part of the CAP used several social influence tactics in their effort to gain the trust of the villagers and deny influence attempts from the VC. What they accomplished by chance should not be lost to history; it should be studied within the context of established social influence theory so future operations may benefit from their experience. This study views the Combined Action Program conducted by the U.S. Marines in South Vietnam through a lens of the science of social influence. A social influence analysis is conducted using cognitive Centers of Gravity and specific social influence tactics. The analysis results provide an insight into which social influence tactics can be applied during counterinsurgency operations.
Download or read book The Psychological War for Vietnam 1960 1968 written by Mervyn Edwin Roberts III and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2018-02-28 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Psychological War for Vietnam, 1960–1968, for the first time fully explores the most sustained, intensive use of psychological operations (PSYOP) in American history. In PSYOP, US military personnel use a variety of tactics—mostly audio and visual messages—to influence individuals and groups to behave in ways that favor US objectives. Informed by the author’s firsthand experience of such operations elsewhere, this account of the battle for “hearts and minds” in Vietnam offers rare insight into the art and science of propaganda as a military tool in the twentieth century. The Psychological War for Vietnam, 1960–1968, focuses on the creation, capabilities, and performance of the forces that conducted PSYOP in Vietnam, including the Joint US Public Affairs Office and the 4th PSYOP Group. In his comprehensive account, Mervyn Edwin Roberts III covers psychological operations across the entire theater, by all involved US agencies. His book reveals the complex interplay of these activities within the wider context of Vietnam and the Cold War propaganda battle being fought by the United States at the same time. Because PSYOP never occurs in a vacuum, Roberts considers the shifting influence of alternative sources of information—especially from the governments of North and South Vietnam, but also from Australia, Korea, and the Philippines. The Psychological War for Vietnam, 1960–1968, also addresses the development of PSYOP doctrine and training in the period prior to the introduction of ground combat forces in 1965 and, finally, shows how the course of the war itself forced changes to this doctrine. The scope of the book allows for a unique measurement of the effectiveness of psychological operations over time.
Download or read book RAND in Southeast Asia written by Mai Elliott and published by Rand Corporation. This book was released on 2010-02-08 with total page 695 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume chronicles RAND's involvement in researching insurgency and counterinsurgency in Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand during the Vietnam War era and assesses the effect that this research had on U.S. officials and policies. Elliott draws on interviews with former RAND staff and the many studies that RAND produced on these topics to provide a narrative that captures the tenor of the times and conveys the attitudes and thinking of those involved.
Download or read book War and Aftermath in Vietnam written by T. Louise Brown and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-12-27 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book, first published in 1991, attempts to combine a broad understanding of the background to the conflict in Vietnamese and world history with detailed material on US military tactics and the failure of pacification. There are chapters on the US presidential administrations of Johnson, Kennedy and Nixon; religion, culture and society in North and South Vietnam, and the nature of the ‘People's Revolutionary War’.
Download or read book The Impact Of An Operational Void The Strategic Hamlet Program 1961 1963 written by Major Gregory B. Conover and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-06 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Vietnam conflict spread dissension into every corner of our political and cultural environment and shattered the foreign policy consensus that had guided US relations since World War II. The initial combined effort of the United States and South Vietnam to defeat the insurgency was the Strategic Hamlet Program. This monograph argues that the Strategic Hamlet Program failed due to the absence of an operational link between strategic concept and tactical execution. The monograph initially reviews the strategic context that existed in South Vietnam during the critical period of 1961-1963, that window in time in which the United States first became an active and full-fledged ally of the South Vietnamese. This review establishes that the two partners held very different perspectives on the conflict and had different objectives in mind when they entered into the Strategic Hamlet Program as a combined effort. The author identifies four principal lessons. First, one should avoid attempting to accomplish significant political or social reforms while simultaneously trying to conduct a major counter insurgency operation. Second, for a program to be effective, there is an absolute requirement to establish an operational link between strategic concept and tactical execution. Third, there exists an inherent “influence dilemma” that every third party must face in a counter insurgency effort. Finally, every insurgency/counterinsurgency is unique and must be and judged on its own merits. The monograph concludes by arguing that the strategic hamlet approach does have utility as a general counterinsurgency strategy in certain types of situations and suggests encadrement as a means for attaining the critical all-requirement for local security in such an effort.
Download or read book Public Affairs written by William M. Hammond and published by Government Printing Office. This book was released on 1988 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: United States Army in Vietnam. CMH Pub. 91-13. Draws upon previously unavailable Army and Defense Department records to interpret the part the press played during the Vietnam War. Discusses the roles of the following in the creation of information policy: Military Assistance Command's Office of Information in Saigon; White House; State Department; Defense Department; and the United States Embassy in Saigon.
Download or read book Touched with Fire written by John Wheeler and published by Franklin Watts. This book was released on 1984 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a healing vision of the heritage of the Vietnam generation.
Download or read book The Politics of Readjustment written by Wilbur J. Scott and published by Transaction Publishers. This book was released on with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Veterans of all wars face a demanding task in readjusting to civilian life. Vietnam veterans have borne an additional burden, having returned from a controversial war that ended in defeat for the United States and South Vietnam. To address this situation, leaders among the Vietnam veterans and their allies formed organizations of their own to articulate their problems and extract concessions from a reluctant Congress, Federal agencies, and courts. Scott, a former infantry platoon leader in Vietnam, describes the major social movements among his fellow veterans during the period of 196 to 1990 in a lively narrative, combining personal interviews with documentary and press records. Included in the book are the âsociological storiesâ of protests against the war in Operations RAW and Dewey Canyon III: the successful effort to place post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Third Edition (DSM-III), of the American Psychiatric Association; the building of the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., despite fierce opposition; and the long-running controversy over the herbicide Agent Orange. In the last chapter the author details the sociological thinking that informs his stories, and develops the implications for understanding social movements in general and veterans' issues in particular.
Download or read book Blowtorch written by Frank L Jones and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2013-03-15 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: History has not been kind to Robert Komer, a casualty of bad historical analysis and inaccurate information. A Cold War national security policy and strategy adviser to three presidents, Komer was one of the most influential national security professionals of the era. The book begins with a review of his early life that helped shape his worldview. It then examines Komer’s influence as a National Security Council staff member during the Kennedy administration, where he helped set its activist course regarding the Third World. Upon Kennedy’s death, Lyndon Johnson named Komer his “point man” for Vietnam pacification policy, and later General Westmoreland’s operational deputy in Vietnam. The author highlights Komer’s activities during the three years he strove to fulfill the president’s vision that Communism could be repelled from Southeast Asia by economic and social development along with military force. Known as “Blowtorch” for his abrasive personality and disdain for bureaucratic foot dragging, Komer came to be seen as the right person for managing that effort, and in 1968 was rewarded with an ambassadorship to Turkey. The book analyzes Komer’s work during the Carter administration as special adviser to Secretary of Defense Harold Brown and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and credits him for reenergizing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s conventional capability and forging the military instrument that implemented the Carter Doctrine in the Persian Gulf—the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force. It also explores his final role as a defense intellectual and critic of the Reagan administration’s defense policies. The book concludes with a useful summary of Komer’s impact on American policy and strategy and his contributions to counterinsurgency practices, a legacy now recognized for its importance in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Download or read book Combat Operations Staying the Course October 1967 to September 1968 written by Erik Villard and published by . This book was released on 2019-05-15 with total page 774 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To many Americans, the war in Vietnam was, and remains, a divisive issue. But nearly fifty years after the end of major U.S. combat operations in Vietnam, well over half the U.S. population is too young to have any direct memory of the conflict. The massive American commitment--political, economic, diplomatic, and military--to the mission of maintaining an independent and non-Communist South Vietnam deserves widespread attention, both to recognize the sacrifice of those who served and to remember how those events have impacted our nation.U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia began after World War II when elements of the Vietnamese population fought back against the re-imposition of French colonial rule. Although the United States generally favored the idea of an independent Vietnam, it supported France because the Viet Minh rebels were led by Communists and U.S. policy at that point in the Cold War sought to contain any expansion of communism. France's defeat in 1954 led to the division of Vietnam into a Communist North (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and a non-Communist South (Republic of Vietnam). The United States actively supported the latter as it dealt with a growing Communist-led insurgent force (the Viet Cong) aided by the North Vietnamese. The initial mission of training South Vietnam's armed forces led to deepening American involvement as the situation grew increasingly dire for the Republic of Vietnam.By the time President Lyndon B. Johnson committed major combat units in 1965, the United States already had invested thousands of men and millions of dollars in the effort to build a secure and stable Republic of Vietnam. That commitment expanded rapidly through 1969, when the United States had over 365,000 Army soldiers (out of a total of a half million troops of all services) in every military region of South Vietnam, with thousands of other Army personnel throughout the Pacific area providing direct support to operations. The war saw many innovations, including the massive use of helicopters to conduct airmobile tactics, new concepts of counterinsurgency, the introduction of airborne radio direction finding, wide-scale use of computers, and major advances in battlefield medicine. Yet, as in most wars, much of the burden was still borne by soldiers on the ground who slogged on foot over the hills and through the rice paddies in search of an often elusive foe. The enormous military effort by the United States was, however, matched by the resolve of North Vietnamese leaders to unify their country under communism at whatever cost. That determination, in the end, proved decisive as American commitment wavered in the face of high casualties and economic and social challenges at home. Negotiations accompanied by the gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces led to the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973, effectively ending the American military role in the conflict. Actual peace was elusive, and two years later the North Vietnamese Army overran South Vietnam, bringing the war to an end in April 1975.The vast majority of American men and women who went to Vietnam did so in the uniform of the U.S. Army. They served their country when called, many at great personal cost, against a backdrop of growing uncertainty and unrest at home. This book, the twelfth volume of the U.S. Army's official history of the Vietnam War, is dedicated to them.
Download or read book Beyond the Quagmire written by Geoffrey W. Jensen and published by University of North Texas Press. This book was released on 2019-03-15 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Beyond the Quagmire, thirteen scholars from across disciplines provide a series of provocative, important, and timely essays on the politics, combatants, and memory of the Vietnam War. Americans believed that they were supposed to win in Vietnam. As veteran and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Philip Caputo observed in A Rumor of War, “we carried, along with our packs and rifles, the implicit convictions that the Viet Cong would be quickly beaten and that we were doing something altogether noble and good.” By 1968, though, Vietnam looked less like World War II’s triumphant march and more like the brutal and costly stalemate in Korea. During that year, the United States paid dearly as nearly 17,000 perished fighting in a foreign land against an enemy that continued to frustrate them. Indeed, as Caputo noted, “We kept the packs and rifles; the convictions, we lost.” It was a time of deep introspection as questions over the legality of American involvement, political dishonesty, civil rights, counter-cultural ideas, and American overreach during the Cold War congealed in one place: Vietnam. Just as Americans fifty years ago struggled to understand the nation’s connection to Vietnam, scholars today, across disciplines, are working to come to terms with the long and bloody war—its politics, combatants, and how we remember it. The essays in Beyond the Quagmire pose new questions, offer new answers, and establish important lines of debate regarding social, political, military, and memory studies. The book is organized in three parts. Part 1 contains four chapters by scholars who explore the politics of war in the Vietnam era. In Part 2, five contributors offer chapters on Vietnam combatants with analyses of race, gender, environment, and Chinese intervention. Part 3 provides four innovative and timely essays on Vietnam in history and memory. In sum, Beyond the Quagmire pushes the interpretive boundaries of America’s involvement in Vietnam on the battlefield and off, and it will play a significant role in reshaping and reinvigorating Vietnam War historiography.
Download or read book Air War Over South Vietnam 1968 1975 written by Bernard C. Nalty and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 554 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Vietnam War written by A.J. Kingston and published by A.J. Kingston. This book was released on 2023 with total page 391 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introducing "Vietnam War: From Saigon to Hanoi," the definitive guide to one of the most complex and significant conflicts of the 20th century. This meticulously researched book provides a comprehensive and nuanced analysis of the Vietnam War, exploring the political, social, and cultural factors that shaped the conflict. From the French colonial period to the fall of Saigon, "Vietnam War: From Saigon to Hanoi" offers an in-depth look at the events that led up to the conflict and its aftermath, as well as the military strategies and tactics employed by the combatants. In addition to its historical analysis, "Vietnam War: From Saigon to Hanoi" also explores the cultural impact of the war, with an examination of literature, film, art, and photography. By delving into the cultural memory of those who experienced the war firsthand, this book provides a deeper understanding of the ways in which the conflict continues to shape the world today. Whether you're a history buff, a student of international relations, or simply someone interested in understanding the complexities of the Vietnam War, "Vietnam War: From Saigon to Hanoi" is a must-read. With its engaging writing style and meticulous research, it is an authoritative and accessible guide to one of the most significant conflicts of the 20th century. So why wait? Order your copy of "Vietnam War: From Saigon to Hanoi" today and discover the complex and tumultuous history of one of the most important events of the modern era.
Download or read book Democracy Strategy and Vietnam written by United States Military Academy. Department of Social Sciences and published by Free Press. This book was released on 1987 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book War Aftermath In Vietnam written by Louise Brown, Dir and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2002 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 1991. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Download or read book To Build as Well as Destroy written by Andrew J. Gawthorpe and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2018-12-15 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For years, the so-called better-war school of thought has argued that the United States built a legitimate and viable non-Communist state in South Vietnam in the latter years of the Vietnam War and that it was only the military abandonment of this state that brought down the Republic of Vietnam. But Andrew J. Gawthorpe, through a detailed and incisive analysis, shows that, in fact, the United States failed in its efforts at nation building and had not established a durable state in South Vietnam. Drawing on newly opened archival collections and previously unexamined oral histories with dozens of U.S. military officers and government officials, To Build as Well as Destroy demonstrates that the United States never came close to achieving victory in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Gawthorpe tells a story of policy aspirations and practical failures that stretches from Washington, D.C., to the Vietnamese villages in which the United States implemented its nationbuilding strategy through the Office of Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support known as CORDS. Structural factors that could not have been overcome by the further application of military power thwarted U.S. efforts to build a viable set of non-Communist political, economic, and social institutions in South Vietnam. To Build as Well as Destroy provides the most comprehensive account yet of the largest and best-resourced nation-building program in U.S. history. Gawthorpe's analysis helps contemporary policy makers, diplomats, and military officers understand the reasons for this failure. At a moment in time when American strategists are grappling with military and political challenges in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, revisiting the historical lessons of Vietnam is a worthy endeavor.
Download or read book Persuasive Potential written by Kathleen Elizabeth Doll and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This dissertation examines the role of persuasion in communication and diplomatic relations, both in moments of intense conflict and in American culture and society during the Cold War from the 1950s to the 1970s. In the early 1950s, confident psychological warfare advocates believed expertise from journalism, advertising, psychology, and past propaganda efforts could guide foreign allies and enemies not only to think but also to act in accordance with US wishes. US propaganda proponents believed a system of using truth as propaganda would be the ultimate peaceful "weapon" in both hot and cold war. During the Korean War, early champions of propaganda confidently predicted that with the right training anyone could be a skilled propagandist while soldiers on the ground in Korea found they primarily used advertising know-how from before the war. Although various groups evaluated psychological warfare efforts and detailed copious guidelines, each presidential administration seemed determined to develop its own "correct" organization to solve previous psychological operation problems. Two major committees at the beginning and end of President Dwight Eisenhower's term found major problems in the US psychological warfare program. Changes during the 1950s had not brought the promised results of expertly guided psychological warfare. During the Vietnam War, a new organization, the Joint United States Public Affairs Office, handled all psychological operations for US civilian and military efforts. Planners again welcomed the new organization as a chance to make serious improvements to US information efforts. But, during the Vietnam War, confidence plummeted and leading figures in the propaganda field doubted their basic ability to communicate anything effectively much less persuade others to think or behave in a way advantageous to the United States.
