The United States Air Force in Southeast Asia: Civic Action - Vietnam War, Nation Building Amid Instability, Pacification, Tet Offensive, President Kennedy, Johnson

Nonfiction, History, Military, Vietnam War, Asian, Aviation
Cover of the book The United States Air Force in Southeast Asia: Civic Action - Vietnam War, Nation Building Amid Instability, Pacification, Tet Offensive, President Kennedy, Johnson by Progressive Management, Progressive Management
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Progressive Management ISBN: 9781310561498
Publisher: Progressive Management Publication: August 24, 2015
Imprint: Smashwords Edition Language: English
Author: Progressive Management
ISBN: 9781310561498
Publisher: Progressive Management
Publication: August 24, 2015
Imprint: Smashwords Edition
Language: English

Professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction, this U.S. Air Force (USAF) publication explores military civic actions in the Vietnam War. These non-military activities, although not known until recently as "military civic action," are as old as warfare itself. Nehemiah ordered ancient Israelite warriors to carry a sword in one hand and their implements to rebuild Jerusalem in the other. As early as 300 B.C. Alexander the Great created the first military engineering units, rebuilding and modernizing many conquered Persian cities. The ancient Roman legionnaire, deviating from the common practice of pillage, exploitation, and suppression of conquered peoples, built roads, located and secured cities, and dug waterways. By introducing superior Roman agricultural methods, legal system, and engineering and mining techniques, the Roman military served as a civilizing force coincidental with its military conquests.2 In more recent years, the engineering accomplishments of the British military were instrumental in transforming India and moving it into the modern era.

Capt. Betty L. Barton Christiansen, a member of the staff in the Office of Air Force History, researched and wrote this volume. She begins by establishing a framework of the civic action concept. Chapter II discusses the period corresponding to the Kennedy administration, when both government and military officials grappled with adjusting to a "new kind of war," the origins of counterinsurgency strategy (of which civic action was a part), and the efforts to apply this strategy in Vietnam. The nation-building period discussed in Chapter III, covers the period from November 1963 to July 1965, a time of great instability in South Vietnam, and the myriad efforts by the USAF to establish unity. Although he had promised to continue the policies of President Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson began to "lean away" from political and other non-military solutions to the crisis in Vietnam. This was reflected in the attitudes of the various services toward unconventional warfare and civic action. By 1966, while military solutions occupied center stage, some stability had been established in Vietnam. More attention was being paid to winning popular allegiance and USAF's Seventh Air Force formally organized its civic action activities. However, just as the program showed signs of success, the Tet offensive intervened. Thus, Chapter V demonstrates that instead of serving as advisers to the Vietnamese, the USAF civic action effort was compelled to revert to an earlier phase of its development, when humanitarian services were emphasized. Still, the program recuperated completely by July 1968. In Chapter VI, the South Vietnamese government embarked on an accelerated pacification program to extend its control throughout the country. Civic action constituted one part of this effort. Seventh Air Force sought to improve training civic action personnel, increase the number of civic action officers "in country," and obtain more resources for the program. These refinements provided a better understanding of civic action and showed the benefits of increased South Vietnamese participation. By the end of 1968, pacification had become a major part of allied strategy in Vietnam. The results of the various changes in the civic action program are discussed and assessed.

I. The Growth of a Concept * II. The Search for Definitions and Applications * III. Nation-Building Amid Instability * IV. Reviving Pacification and Civic Action Strategies * V. The Tet Offensive and Operation Recovery * VI. Program Refinement * VII. Redefining Seventh Air Force Civic Action * VIII. Summary Assessment and Conclusion

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction, this U.S. Air Force (USAF) publication explores military civic actions in the Vietnam War. These non-military activities, although not known until recently as "military civic action," are as old as warfare itself. Nehemiah ordered ancient Israelite warriors to carry a sword in one hand and their implements to rebuild Jerusalem in the other. As early as 300 B.C. Alexander the Great created the first military engineering units, rebuilding and modernizing many conquered Persian cities. The ancient Roman legionnaire, deviating from the common practice of pillage, exploitation, and suppression of conquered peoples, built roads, located and secured cities, and dug waterways. By introducing superior Roman agricultural methods, legal system, and engineering and mining techniques, the Roman military served as a civilizing force coincidental with its military conquests.2 In more recent years, the engineering accomplishments of the British military were instrumental in transforming India and moving it into the modern era.

Capt. Betty L. Barton Christiansen, a member of the staff in the Office of Air Force History, researched and wrote this volume. She begins by establishing a framework of the civic action concept. Chapter II discusses the period corresponding to the Kennedy administration, when both government and military officials grappled with adjusting to a "new kind of war," the origins of counterinsurgency strategy (of which civic action was a part), and the efforts to apply this strategy in Vietnam. The nation-building period discussed in Chapter III, covers the period from November 1963 to July 1965, a time of great instability in South Vietnam, and the myriad efforts by the USAF to establish unity. Although he had promised to continue the policies of President Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson began to "lean away" from political and other non-military solutions to the crisis in Vietnam. This was reflected in the attitudes of the various services toward unconventional warfare and civic action. By 1966, while military solutions occupied center stage, some stability had been established in Vietnam. More attention was being paid to winning popular allegiance and USAF's Seventh Air Force formally organized its civic action activities. However, just as the program showed signs of success, the Tet offensive intervened. Thus, Chapter V demonstrates that instead of serving as advisers to the Vietnamese, the USAF civic action effort was compelled to revert to an earlier phase of its development, when humanitarian services were emphasized. Still, the program recuperated completely by July 1968. In Chapter VI, the South Vietnamese government embarked on an accelerated pacification program to extend its control throughout the country. Civic action constituted one part of this effort. Seventh Air Force sought to improve training civic action personnel, increase the number of civic action officers "in country," and obtain more resources for the program. These refinements provided a better understanding of civic action and showed the benefits of increased South Vietnamese participation. By the end of 1968, pacification had become a major part of allied strategy in Vietnam. The results of the various changes in the civic action program are discussed and assessed.

I. The Growth of a Concept * II. The Search for Definitions and Applications * III. Nation-Building Amid Instability * IV. Reviving Pacification and Civic Action Strategies * V. The Tet Offensive and Operation Recovery * VI. Program Refinement * VII. Redefining Seventh Air Force Civic Action * VIII. Summary Assessment and Conclusion

More books from Progressive Management

Cover of the book Mexico in Perspective - Orientation Guide and Spanish (Mexican) Cultural Orientation: Geography, History, Economy, Security, Guadalajara, Ciudad Juarez, Indios, Indigenismo, Mestizos, Mestizaje by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Russia and Arms Control: Are There Opportunities for the Obama Administration? Putin, Lavrov, START and INF Treaty, BMD and Missile Defense, ASATS, Plesetsk, Ukraine, Space Weapons by Progressive Management
Cover of the book The Demise of Osama bin Laden (Usama Bin Ladin, UBL): U.S. Assault in Abbottabad, Pakistan to Kill the al Qaeda Leader, Intelligence, Implications for the Future, Legal and Military Considerations by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Russia's Revival: Ambitions, Limitations, and Opportunities for the United States - Vladimir Putin's Record, Corruption Complex, Military, Near Abroad, China, Iran, Implications for United States by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 2015 Complete Guide to Operation Inherent Resolve: America's War Against the Islamic State, ISIS, ISIL Terrorists in Iraq and Syria, Leader al-Baghdadi, Levant, al-Qaeda in Syria by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Planning and Response to an Active Shooter: An Interagency Security Committee Policy and Best Practices Guide - Law Enforcement and First Responder Coordination; Run, Hide, Fight Response Plan by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Transformation Dilemma: Air Force Special Operations Command and the Role in the Future of the Air Force and Special Operations - Simulators, CV-22, MC-130, MC-X, AFSOC Simulation Systems by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 21st Century Solar Power and Photovoltaics: Energy Department Solar Energy Technologies Program Annual Report - Fiscal Year 2009 - Details on PV Technologies and Research by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Defense Is From Mars, State Is From Venus: Improving Communications and Promoting National Security - Covering Peacekeeping, Foreign Policy, and the Character Traits of Military Officers and Diplomats by Progressive Management
Cover of the book National Defense Intelligence College Paper: Intelligence Analysis in Theater Joint Intelligence Centers: An Experiment in Applying Structured Methods - Case Studies, Scenarios, Two-Tailed Tests by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Solyndra and the Department of Energy Loan Guarantee Program: House Hearings on Stimulus Funding for Solar Energy Company by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Were They Prepared? Escape and Evasion in Western Europe, 1942-1944: World War II Army Air Force Aircrew Training for Successful Rescue and Survival Behind Enemy Lines by Thousands by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Marines in the Korean War Commemorative Series: Train Wreckers and Ghost Killers - Allied Marines in the Korean War, Commandos, Admiral Joy, Drysdale, British Royal Marines by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Answering the Call: A Commemorative Tribute to Military Nursing in World War I - The U.S. Army Nurse Corps, 1917-1919 - Hospitals, Ambulances, Trains, African-American Nurses, Swine Flu Epidemic by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Vietnam in Perspective - Orientation Guide and Vietnamese Cultural Orientation: Geography, History, Economy, Security, Customs, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Khmer, Montagnards, Hmong, Mahayana Buddhism by Progressive Management
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy