To what extent did technology influence American tactics during the Vietnam War?

Bradley, Mark Philip, Vietnam at War (Oxford University press, 2009)

A professor of history at The University of Chicago, Bradley’s main goal throughout this book is to show how the Vietnam War affected the Vietnamese populace; apart from a thorough analysis of the Vietminh’s goals and strategies, Bradley also examines how the war affected the Vietnamese on a cultural level. This creates a more inclusive explanation of Vietminh actions. Inevitably, the focus on Vietnamese society reduces the information relating to American social issues and strategies; for example, although American interests in maintaining French colonial power are described, the underlying cultural barriers against Communism are not mentioned.

Word Count: 293

Section D: Analysis

Despite the US’ reliance on superior military technology to compensate for the Vietminh’s local support and knowledge of the terrain, other factors also dictated American strategy. These included public and foreign opinion of the war, both of which influenced the policies imposed by US politicians in order to maximize their advantages whilst minimalizing the risk of failing international relations and civilian support. Nevertheless, it is felt that military technology was critical in allowing the US to engage the Vietminh and remained a significant component of their policies.

In particular, military operations after 1964 strongly emphasized the deployment of superior weaponry as a component of military strategy. For example, “Operation Rolling Thunder” in February 1965 coordinated B-52 Stratofortress bombers based in Thailand, the South China Sea and the Gulf of Tonkin in a series of mass bombings; the initial year of the operation saw over 25,000 bombings, but by 1967 almost 108,000 bombing runs had been authorized, delivering about 250,000 tons of explosives to strategic targets such as transport lines, factories and farms. Apart from conventional explosives, payloads included napalm (a flammable substance which allowed fires to burn for longer) and Agent Orange (a defoliant used to destroy plants which could provide supplies to the Vietminh). The prevalence of supporting fighter-bomber planes such as the F-4 Phantom to both engage enemy pilots trying to shoot down bombers and use their smaller payloads of bombs and rockets to attack low priority targets also show the extent to which strategic victories were achieved through the use of superior firepower. Technology even influenced infantry deployments: The “Search and Destroy” stratagem utilized low-flying helicopters to quickly transport infantry into hostile territory to maximize enemy casualties, before withdrawing quickly using said air transport. Infantry were often armed with massive M60 light machine guns and M19 60mm grenade launchers, which gave them massive advantages in firing rates against Vietminh forces.

Having said that, in the years before 1964 and after 1968 technology was utilized to a much lesser degree. As mentioned before, the US was reluctant to deploy troops throughout the early 1950s due to the risk of being drawn into a prolonged conflict, further depleting resources lost from the Korean War. The provocation of China also led many US leaders such as Eisenhower and Johnson to counsel moderate measures to avoid provoking China: Having expressed concern in 1955 that the US would use Vietnam as a foothold to retake borderline states such as Taiwan, the Chinese reiterated their position in 1965 by sending over 320,000 troops to support the Vietnamese against aerial attacks. The fact that American forces were ordered not to engage them shows that the destabilization of international relations limited the Americans’ response. The very existence of an American presence in Vietnam was originally motivated by a need to maintain French colonial interests and later to prevent a perceived Communist invasion, suggesting that American strategy was balanced between maintaining international relations whilst confronting a military threat.

American public opinion also influenced wartime policy to a significant degree: The American peace movements beginning from 1962 coincided with increased direct action against the Vietminh. It is a measure of the extent of public opinion that wartime leader Lyndon B. Johnson decided not to run for re-election in the wake of public backlash against the loss of life from the war, and from controversies such as the 1968 Mai Lai Massacre (which resulted in the death of several Vietnamese civilians) and the use of Agent Orange (which resulted in poisoning, birth defects and heavy scarring). Notably, although the Tet Offensive in January 1968 was a tactical loss for the Vietnamese, its psychological impact discouraged many Americans appalled by the fact that American interests were targeted in the attack; that this coincided with calls for a truce showed the extent to which public opinion influenced wartime policies.

Word Count: 790

Section E: Conclusion

The US’ greatest advantage throughout the war was its superior technology; Despite Vietnam’s far higher casualties, many American troops reported feeling demoralized by the Vietminh’s tactics. It is therefore logical that US military tactics were dictated by the efficient deployment of long-range weapons to enemy targets. Nevertheless, despite its status as an international power the US was wary of provoking nuclear warfare Communist nations such as China and Russia. This would initially motivate more moderate actions in the hope the Vietminh could be suppressed without excessive casualties. Furthermore, public opinion of the war varied with its success and ultimately influenced its outcome: Whereas in the late 1950s many thought the war would be quickly won due to the US’ technological advantages, the setbacks of the mid 1960s motivated a US peace movement into forming, decreasing public support for the war and ultimately limiting the US’ effective war assets. In conclusion, despite the fact that technology heavily influenced US military tactics, the political ramifications and social changes ultimately decided the extent to which said tactics were implemented.

Word Count: 194

Section F: Bibliography

Books

Anderson, David L., The Vietnam War (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005)

BBC Bitesize, 1988.

Bradley, Mark Philip, Vietnam at war (Oxford University Press, 2009)

Davidson, Phillip B. The History 1946-1975 Vietnam at War (Sidgwick and Jackson Publishers Limited, 1989)

Websites

LearnHistory.org.uk

Samels, Mark, 2003. 

Todd, Allan, The Cold War (Cambridge University Press 2011)

US Centennial of Flight Commission, January 2001.

Battlefield Vietnam