Download or read book US Special Forces and Counterinsurgency in Vietnam written by Christopher K. Ives and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2007-01-24 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume examines US Army Special Forces efforts to mobilize and train indigenous minorities in Vietnam. Christopher K. Ives shows how before the Second Indochina War, the Republic of Vietnam had begun to falter under the burden of an increasingly successful insurgency. The dominant American military culture could not conform to President Kennedy’s guidance to wage 'small wars', while President Diem’s provincial and military structures provided neither assistance nor security. The Green Berets developed and executed effective counterinsurgency tactics and operations with strategic implications while living, training, and finally fighting with the Montagnard peoples in the Central Highlands. Special Forces soldiers developed and executed what needed to be done to mobilize indigenous minorities, having assessed what needed to be known. Combining Clausewitz, business theory and strategic insight, this book provides an important starting point for thinking about how the US military should be approaching the problems of today's ‘small wars’. US Special Forces and Counterinsurgency in Vietnam will be of much interest to students of the Vietnam War, Special Forces operations, military innovation and strategic theory in general.
Download or read book US Special Forces and Counterinsurgency in Vietnam written by Christopher K. Ives and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2007 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume examines the efforts ofUS Army Special Forces tomobilize and train indigenous minorities in Vietnam.Christopher K. Ives shows how, before the Second Indochina War, the Republic of Vietnam had begun to falter under the burden of an increasingly successful insurgency. The dominant American military culture could not conform to President Kennedy's guidance to wage 'small wars', while President Diem's provincial and military structures provided neither assistance nor security. The Green Berets developed and executed effective counterinsurgency tactics and operations with strategic implications while living, training, and finally fighting with the Montagnard peoples in the Central Highlands. Special Forces soldiers developed and executed what needed to be done to mobilize indigenous minorities, having assessed what neededto be known.Combining Clausewitz, business theory and strategic insight, this book provides an important starting point for thinking about how the US military should be approaching the problems of today's â¬~small wars'.This book will be of much interest to students of the Vietnam War, Special Forces operations, military innovation and strategic theory in general.Christopher Ives holds a PhD in history from the Ohio State University, and is a veteran of the US Special Forces, with over 20 years' service. He now works as a security analyst.
Download or read book We Few written by Nick Brokhausen and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2018-04-03 with total page 391 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Green Beret’s gripping memoir of American Special Forces in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. In 1970, on his second tour to Vietnam, Nick Brokhausen served in Recon Team Habu, CCN. Officially, it was known as the Studies and Observations group. In fact, this Special Forces squad, which Brokhausen calls “an unwashed, profane, ribald, joyously alive fraternity,” undertook some of the most dangerous and suicidal reconnaissance missions ever in the enemy-controlled territory of Cambodia and Laos. But they didn’t infiltrate the jungles alone. They fought alongside the Montagnards—oppressed minorities from the mountain highlands, trained by the US military in guerilla tactics, armed, accustomed to the wild, and fully engaged in a war against the North Vietnamese. Together this small unit formed the backbone of ground reconnaissance in the Republic of Vietnam, racking up medals for valor—but at a terrible cost. “In colorful, military-jargon-laced prose leavened by gallows humor, Brokhausen pulls few punches describing what it was like to navigate remote jungle terrain under the constant threat of enemy fire. A smartly written, insider’s view of one rarely seen Vietnam War battleground.” —Booklist “[An] exceptionally raw look at the Vietnam War just at the apex of its unpopularity. . . . This battle-scarred memoir is an excellent tribute to the generation that fought, laughed, and died in Southeast Asia.” —New York Journal of Books
Download or read book Vietnam Studies U S Army Special Forces 1961 1971 written by Colonel Francis John Kelly and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2014-08-15 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes 6 Maps, 25 photo illustrations, 10 Charts and 8 Tables. “As long ago as 1957, U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers were in the Republic of Vietnam, going about their business of training, advising, and assisting members of the Vietnamese Army. Despite the old Army witticism about never volunteering for anything, the Special Forces soldier is, in fact, a double volunteer, having first volunteered for airborne training and then again for Special Forces training. From a very meager beginning but sustained by a strong motivation and confidence in his mission, the Special Forces soldier has marched through the Vietnam struggle in superb fashion. “In 1957 some fifty-eight Vietnamese soldiers were given military training by Special Forces troops. Ten years later the Special Forces were advising and assisting over 40,000 paramilitary troops, along with another 40,000 Regional Forces and Popular Forces soldiers. This monograph traces the development and notes the progress, problems, successes, and failures of a unique program undertaken by the U.S. Army for the first time in its history. It is hoped that all the significant lessons learned have been recorded and the many pitfalls of such a program uncovered... “With the withdrawal of the Special Forces from Vietnam in 1971, the Army could honestly lay claim to a new dimension in ground warfare the organized employment of a paramilitary force in sustained combat against a determined enemy. I know I speak for my predecessors and successors in claiming that the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) was the finest collection of professional soldiers ever assembled by the U.S. Army, anywhere, anytime.”
Download or read book U S Army Special Forces 1961 1971 written by Francis John Kelly and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2012-05-29 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1957 58 Vietnamese soldiers were given military training by Special Forces troops. Ten years later green berets were assisting over 40,000 paramilitary troops, along with another 40,000 Regional Forces and Popular Forces soldiers. This monograph traces the development and notes the progress, problems, successes, and failures of a unique program undertaken by the U.S. Army for the first time in its history. With the withdrawal of the Special Forces from Vietnam in 1971, the Army could lay unique claim to the employment of a paramilitary force in sustained combat against a determined enemy. About the author: In 1960, Col. Kelly chaired the committee which produced the U.S. Army's first definitive approach to counterinsurgency, "The Role of the U.S. Army in the Cold War." For two years he commanded the 1st SFG, which provided multiple teams for combat in Vietnam. From 6/66 to 6/67, he commanded the 5th SFG in Vietnam. He led the Combat Development Command, Institute for Strategic and Stability Operations.
Download or read book Vietnam Studies written by Col Francis J. Kelly and published by . This book was released on 2016-12-10 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As long ago as 1957, U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers were in the Republic of Vietnam. going about their business of training, advising, and assisting members of the Vietnamese Army. Despite the old Army witticism about never volunteering for anything, the Special Forces soldier is. in fan, a double volunteer, having first volunteered for airborne training and then again for Special Forces training. From a very meager beginning but sustained by a strong motivation and confidence in his mission, the Special Forces soldier has marched through the Vietnam struggle in superb fashion. In 1957 some fifty-eight Vietnamese soldiers were given military training by Special Forces troops. Ten years later the Special Forces were advising and assisting over 40,000 paramilitary troops, along with another 40,000 Regional Forces and Popular Forces soldiers. This monograph traces the development and notes the progress, problems. successes, and failures of a unique program undertaken by the U.S. Army for the first lime in its history. It is hoped that all the significant lessons learned have been recorded and the many pitfalls of such a program uncovered. I am responsible for the conclusions reached, yet my thought processes could not escape the influence of the many outstanding officers and men in the Special Forces who joined in the struggle. Particularly, I must lake note of the contributions of the Special Forces noncommissioned officers, without question the most competent soldiers in the world. With the withdrawal of the Special Forces from Vietnam in 1971, the Army could honestly lay claim to a new dimension in ground warfare-the organized employment of a paramilitary force in sustained combat against a determined enemy. I know I speak for my predecessors and successors in claiming that the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) was the finest collection of professional soldiers ever assembled by the U.S. Army, anywhere, anytime. Francis John Kelly Colonel, Armor 1972
Download or read book The Green Berets of Vietnam The U S Army Special Forces 61 71 The Illustrated Edition written by Francis John Kelly and published by . This book was released on 2013-02-01 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fully illustrated throughout with maps, charts, tables and photographs, this authoritative history of the U.S. Army Special Forces during the Vietnam War was written by Colonel Francis Kelly, who himself commanded the 1st and 5th Special Forces Groups during the conflict. From their humble beginnings training just 58 Vietnamese soldiers in 1957, these elite soldiers in just over one decade, trained and advised over 80,000 paramilitary and guerrilla troops in sustained combat techniques, and fought alongside them against the Viet Cong. This is the definitive history of these tough, resourceful and dedicated men.
Download or read book US Special Operations Forces in Action written by Thomas K. Adams and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work argues for a shift in expectations for "unconventional warfare" with a greater willingness to accept lengthy commitments and incremental progress.
Download or read book Bait written by James D. McLeroy and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2019-11-19 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of one of the least known and most misunderstood battles in the Vietnam War. The strategic potential of the three-day attack of two North Vietnamese Army (NVA) regiments on Kham Duc, a remote and isolated Army Special Forces camp, on the eve of the first Paris peace talks in May 1968, was so significant that former President Lyndon Johnson included it in his memoirs. This gripping, original, eyewitness narrative and thoroughly researched analysis of a widely misinterpreted battle at the height of the Vietnam War radically contradicts all the other published accounts of it. In addition to the tactical details of the combat narrative, the authors consider the grand strategies and political contexts of the U.S. and North Vietnamese leaders. Praise for Bait: The Battle of Kham Duc “This book is a must read for any Vietnam historian or veteran.” —Patrick Brady, Major General, USA (ret.), Medal of Honor Recipient “For an authentic, detailed view of how large battles between U.S. combined-arms forces and regular North Vietnamese Army forces were fought in Vietnam in 1968, Bait: The Battle of Kham Duc is required reading.” —General H. Hugh Shelton, 14th Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff “This first-hand, exhaustively documented account of a large battle in the Vietnam War shows the decisive role of air power in all its forms.” —Carl Schneider, Major General, USAF (ret.) “One of those rare historical narratives that explains in rich detail a battle that was little understood or reported on at the time it was fought but was of strategic importance and heroic dimension.” —Marine Corps Gazette “The account of the battle is both detailed and exceptionally well-written; McLeroy’s participation in the battle adds authenticity to the narrative.... Highly recommended for anyone interested in how large-scale battles were fought in Vietnam at the height of U.S. commitment on the ground there.” —Journal of Military History
Download or read book U S Army Special Forces 1961 1971 written by Francis John Kelly and published by . This book was released on 1973 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Army and Vietnam written by Andrew F. Krepinevich Jr. and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 1986-05-01 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many senior army officials still claim that if they had been given enough soldiers and weapons, the United States could have won the war in Vietnam. In this probing analysis of U.S. military policy in Vietnam, career army officer and strategist Andrew F. Krepinevich, Jr., argues that precisely because of this mindset the war was lost before it was fought. The army assumed that it could transplant to Indochina the operational methods that had been successful in the European battle theaters of World War II, an approach that proved ill-suited to the way the Vietnamese Communist forces fought. Theirs was a war of insurgency, and counterinsurgency, Krepinevich contends, requires light infantry formations, firepower restraint, and the resolution of political and social problems within the nation. To the very end, top military commanders refused to recognize this. Krepinevich documents the deep division not only between the American military and civilian leaders over the very nature of the war, but also within the U.S. Army itself. Through extensive research in declassified material and interviews with officers and men with battlefield experience, he shows that those engaged in the combat understood early on that they were involved in a different kind of conflict. Their reports and urgings were discounted by the generals, who pressed on with a conventional war that brought devastation but little success. A thorough analysis of the U.S. Army's role in the Vietnam War, The Army and Vietnam demonstrates with chilling persuasiveness the ways in which the army was unprepared to fight—lessons applicable to today's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Download or read book Vietnam and American Doctrine for Small Wars written by Wray R. Johnson and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Green Beret in Vietnam written by Gordon L. Rottman and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-06-20 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vietnam was the US Special Forces most complex and controversial mission, one that began in 1957 and ended in 1973. Camp strike forces, mobile strike forces, mobile guerrilla forces, special reconnaissance projects, training missions and headquarters duty provided vastly differing experiences and circumstances for SF soldiers. Other fluctuating factors were the terrain, the weather and the shifting course of the war itself. Gordon Rottman examines the training, life, weapons and combat experiences of the Special Forces soldier in this challenging environment.
Download or read book Combined Action Platoons In The Vietnam War written by Major Ian J. Townsend and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-06 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book The Green Berets of Vietnam written by Francis John Kelly and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fully illustrated throughout with maps, charts, tables and photographs, this authoritative history of the U.S. Army Special Forces during the Vietnam War was written by Colonel Francis Kelly, who himself commanded the 1st and 5th Special Forces Groups during the conflict. From their humble beginnings training just 58 Vietnamese soldiers in 1957, these elite soldiers in just over one decade, trained and advised over 80,000 paramilitary and guerrilla troops in sustained combat techniques, and fought alongside them against the Viet Cong. This is the definitive history of these tough, resourceful and dedicated men.
Download or read book War in the Shadows written by Boston Publishing Company and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Picture essays cover the Golden Triangle and Edward G. Lansdale.
Download or read book Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam written by John Nagl and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2002-10-30 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Armies are invariably accused of preparing to fight the last war. Nagl examines how armies learn during the course of conflicts for which they are initially unprepared in organization, training, and mindset. He compares the development of counterinsurgency doctrine and practice in the Malayan Emergency from 1948-1960 with that developed in the Vietnam Conflict from 1950-1975, through use of archival sources and interviews with participants in both conflicts. In examining these two events, he argues that organizational culture is the key variable in determining the success or failure of attempts to adapt to changing circumstances. Differences in organizational culture is the primary reason why the British Army learned to conduct counterinsurgency in Malaya while the American Army failed to learn in Vietnam. The American Army resisted any true attempt to learn how to fight an insurgency during the course of the Vietnam Conflict, preferring to treat the war as a conventional conflict in the tradition of the Korean War or World War II. The British Army, because of its traditional role as a colonial police force and the organizational characteristics that its history and the national culture created, was better able to quickly learn and apply the lessons of counterinsurgency during the course of the Malayan Emergency. This is the first study to apply organizational learning theory to cases in which armies were engaged in actual combat.
