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Administration

Administration. DoDMERB Physical Check with SSgt Sutton Thursdays – See SSgt Sutton until you sign Form 16 saying you have an approved physical…GOT IT!!! CHECK DET EMAIL TWICE A DAY! Form 35 Civil Involvement Process . SAMPLES OF BEHAVIOR.

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Administration

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  1. Administration • DoDMERB Physical Check with SSgt Sutton • Thursdays – See SSgt Sutton until you sign Form 16 saying you have an approved physical…GOT IT!!! • CHECK DET EMAIL TWICE A DAY! • Form 35 Civil Involvement Process

  2. SAMPLES OF BEHAVIOR • # 3. Describe how airpower was used in Southeast Asia to interdict the Ho Chi Minh Trail (N. Vietnamese supply routes into S. Vietnam) • #4. Describe Rolling Thunder, Linebacker I & II (strategic bombing campaigns against N. Vietnam) • #5. Describe the uses and effectiveness of the B-52 in the Vietnam conflict. • #6. Describe and give an example of the tactical airlift mission flown during Vietnam conflict • #8. Describe the US Air Force’s Search and Recovery mission in Vietnam • #9. Identify the lessons learned from the Vietnam conflict.

  3. Uses of AirpowerBackground • Vietnam conflict was primarily a land war • Most air power was used in conjunction with ground ops • North stayed above DMZ, so air superiority over the South was never a concern • In-country operations centered around • Interdiction • Close Air Support (CAS) • Airlift • Reconnaissance • Search and Rescue (SAR) • Air-to-Air Refueling

  4. In-Country Air Operations1964-73 • After Gulf of Tonkin, air units built up rapidly • USAF occupied 10 major air bases • All were built and defended by the Air Force • Huge logistical effort • USAF also flew from 6 bases in Thailand • Navy flew from carriers in Gulf of Tonkin • B-52s flew from Guam;at times even from the US

  5. Uses of Airpower during Vietnamization • Train the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) • Support the South Vietnamese Army • Forestall suspected enemy attacks against withdrawing American units

  6. Uses of Air PowerInterdiction • A major mission during SEA war • Aircraft used: F-4 Phantom, F-100 Super Sabre, F-105 Thunderchief (Thud), AC-130 Gunships • B-52 was the best known interdiction aircraft: a nuclear bomber modified to carry conventional weapons • Arc Light - Name for B-52 interdiction missions F-100 Supersabre

  7. Uses of Air PowerClose Air Support (CAS) • Missions to support forces of the ground • Aircraft used: A-4 Skyhawk, F-4, F-100, A-37 Dragonfly, A-1 Skyraider, and AC-47 Gunships (Puff the Magic Dragon) • Gunships (cargo aircraft armed with rapid-fire machine guns) were very effective • Forward Air Controllers (FACs) were used to locate the enemy and mark targets for faster flying jets A-4 Skyhawk A-1 Skyraider

  8. Uses of Air PowerClose Air Support (con’t) B-52 Arc Light aircraft were occasionally used for close air support • Used extensively in close air support at Khe Sanh • Flew 2,548 sorties • Dropped bombs within 300 yards of of US Marine perimeter • Credited with saving Khe Sanh and repelling the Tet and Easter Offensives

  9. C-123 Provider C-7 Caribou Uses of Air PowerTactical Airlift • Vital to successful US operations because of poor security on roads • Aircraft used: UH-1 Hueys, C-7 Caribous, • C-123 Providers, C-130 Hercules • Missions often flown while under attack • Supplies often air-dropped because of enemy fire and poor landing facilities • A major factor in keeping Khe Sanh alive

  10. RB 57 Canberra RB 66 Destroyer Uses of Air PowerReconnaissance • Aircraft used: RF-4C, RB-57 Canberra, and RB-66 Destroyers • Aircraft were equipped with variety of cameras and sensing devices • Missions: locating lucrative targets and assessing battle damage • A valuable part of repelling Tet and protecting Khe Sanh

  11. Uses of Air PowerSearch and Rescue (SAR) • An extremely important part of the air support mission throughout Southeast Asia • Buttressed aircrew morale; fliers knew every effort would be made to save them if shot down • Aircraft used: HH-3 Jolly Green Giants and HH-53 Super Jolly Greens • By 1973, USAF had rescued 3,883 Americans

  12. C-130 Refueling KC-135 Tanker Uses of Air PowerAir-to-Air Refueling • Indispensable - extended the range of combat aircraft and enabled many aircraft to return safely • C-130s refueled helicopters, KC-135s refueled fixed wing aircraft • SAC tankers flew 195,000 sorties, unloaded 9 billion pounds of fuel, and took part in 814,000 individual refuelings

  13. RF 4 Phantom Major CampaignsRolling Thunder • Officially began 2 March 1965 • Objectives • Interdict the flow of supplies from the North • Force the North to stop supporting the Vietcong and quit the war • Raise South Vietnamese morale

  14. Major CampaignsRolling Thunder (con't) • Strategic bombing and interdiction campaign • Strategic because it was aimed at the North’s will to wage war • Interdiction because the North had few large industries and got most of their material from China and the Soviet Union • Employed mostly tactical aircraft: F-105, F-4, and F-111. In 1966, B-52s were used in the Southern part of North Vietnam F-111 F-105

  15. Major CampaignsRolling Thunder Restrictions • Johnson administration controlled campaign tightly • Targets declared off limits by civilians included: • Targets in Hanoi, Haiphong, China border area • MIG bases and non-firing SAM sites • Dams, dikes, hydroelectric plants • White House selected targets, weapons and flying routes with little military input

  16. Major Campaigns Rolling Thunder: Effect of Restrictions • Graduated increases in bombing intensity worked to advantage of North Vietnamese • Gave them time to recover from damage • Enabled them to establish the world’s most intense antiaircraft defense system • Provided them the will to fight on and a sense they could survive • By 1965, it was clear that Rolling Thunder didn’t work

  17. Major CampaignsRolling Thunder: Conclusions • Impacts • South’s morale improved as the North suffered under the bombing • North used frequent halts and restrictions to repair damage and resupply forces in South • Criticism grew at home and internationally • Johnson ended Rolling Thunder prior to 1968 elections • Rolling Thunder campaign, America’s longest, was a failure

  18. B 52 Stratofortress Major Campaigns Linebacker I • Easter Offensive (Mar 1972) made it apparent the North was not willing to negotiate • Objectives of Linebacker I • Initially a close air support effort to aid retreating South Vietnamese forces • Later, changed to an interdiction campaign against North Vietnam • A systematic campaign • with little civilian control, unlike Rolling Thunder

  19. Major Campaigns Linebacker I (con’t) • Civilian casualties a consideration but didn’t determine how missions were flown • Haiphong harbor mined for the first time to restrict delivery of supplies to the North • Strikes flown over Hanoi and Haiphong • B-52 strikes on Haiphong began April 1972 • “Smart bombs” used extensively

  20. Major Campaigns Linebacker I Successes • Linebacker I was the most successful US bombing campaign of the war • Had more impact on the North Vietnam in 9 months than Rolling Thunder did in 4 years • Successful largely because Easter Offensive was a conventional, mechanized attack • Peace Talks resumed in July 1972 • Nixon restricted Linebacker I attacks to below the 20th parallel

  21. Major Campaigns Linebacker II • Peace Talks stalled again in Dec 1972 • Nixon ordered Linebacker II to run concurrently with Linebacker I • Purpose of Linebacker II was to force the North Vietnamese to negotiate and sign a peace treaty • Ran from 18 Dec to 30 Dec 1972 - referred to as the “Christmas Campaign”

  22. Major Campaigns Linebacker II (con’t) • Very intense and logistically complex • Specific targets in Hanoi and Haiphong • B-52s used for the first time over Hanoi • By the end of Linebacker II, North Vietnam was defenseless • 1,200 SAMs were fired • 80% of the North’s electrical systems and 25% of their POL facilities were destroyed

  23. Major Campaigns Linebacker II Results • North Vietnam returned to the bargaining table on 30 Dec 1972 • All bombing ceased on 15 Jan 1973 • Peace treaty was signed on 27 Jan 1973 • Linebacker II was a success • Some believe that if Rolling Thunder had been conducted like Linebacker II, the war would have ended in 1965 - unlikely http://www.davka.org/what/theleft/peoplespeacetreatyvietnam.html

  24. Vietnam Service Medal Interim Summary • Uses of Airpower • Rolling Thunder • Linebacker I • Linebacker II

  25. Post Vietnam

  26. Vietnam Conflict Results • US reluctance to enter military conflicts that don’t directly threaten national interests • Congressional restriction on President’s ability to commit US military forces • Lowered public opinion of the government and the military • The all-volunteer military force • Increased emphasis on military resources, training, and weapons

  27. Results for Southeast Asia • North Vietnam and South Vietnam joined into one country dominated by the North Vietnamese communists • Saigon renamed Ho Chi Minh City • Exodus of boat people, many to America • Hundreds of thousands of US supporters sent to "reeducation" camps • Over 6.5 million displaced Vietnamese war refugees • Expected postwar blood bath never materialized.

  28. The Vietnam ConflictLessons Learned • US can’t win a counterinsurgency war in another country; only the people of that country can • Force and technology of limited value in a “people’s war” • Realistic assessments by national leaders required before forces are committed • “Know your enemy and know yourself” • “Graduated Response” is an ineffective way to employ air power

  29. The Vietnam WarLessons Learned (con’t) • In a democracy, congressional and public support are critical and difficult to get • Modern war is open to public scrutiny • Let those who understand war conduct it • We need revolutionary technology, not evolutionary • We need precision munitions

  30. Next Week • Questions? • Next Week: Chapters 16 & 17 Reminder: Memos are Due!

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