t AIR POWER AND THE GROUND WAR IN VIETNAM IDEAS AND ACTIONS by DONALD J . MROZEK Senior Research Fellow Airpower Research Institute Air University Press Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama 36112-5532 January 1988 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mrozek, Donald J. Air Power and the Ground War in Vietnam. Includes bibliographies and index. 1 . Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975-Aerial Operations, American. I. Title. DS558.8.M79 1988 959.704'348 87-31931 ISBN 1-58566-015-9 Fust Printing January 1988 Second Printing December 2000 Third Printing September 2002 Disclaimer This study represents the views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the official opin- ion of the Air University Center for Aerospace Doctrine, Research, and Education (AUCADRE) or the Department of the Air Force. This publication has been reviewed by security and policy review authorities and is cleared for public release. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents US Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 g -qn . EIm.o ofcqolE z a,iorzF. THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Contents Chapter Page DISCLAIMER . FOREWORD . ix ABOUT THE AUTHOR . xi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . xiii INTRODUCTION . xv PART ONE EVERYBODY'S WAR, NOBODY'S WAR 1 AIR POWER THEORIES, AIR FORCE THINKING, AND THE CONFLICT IN VIETNAM : THE PAST WAS PROLOGUE . 3 The Thrust of US Air Power Theories . 5 The Ascendancy of the Offensive . 7 Limited War as a Challenge to Doctrine . 13 Vietnam and the Burden of the Past . 17 Notes . 24 2 INTERSERVICE DIFFERENCES, COMMAND AND CONTROL, ANDTHE CONDUCT OF WAR IN SOUTHEAST ASIA . 27 Interservice Differences in the Post-World War II Context . 29 The Search for Simplicity in the Complexity of Southeast Asia . 32 Pressures for Change . 38 Doctrine and Complexity . 44 Notes . 46 3 WAR MAKING AND WAR POLITICS: CIVILIAN OFFICIALS AND THE USES OF MILITARY POWER. 49 Political Action as a Counterguerrilla War. 50 Competing Visions of the Vietnam War. 52 Self-Defeating Aspects of the US Commitment to Counterinsurgency . 57 War as Politics . 62 The Continuation of War as Politics . 64 Notes . 65 Chapter Page PART TWO "TWO, THREE . MANY VIETNAMS" 4 RETHINKING GROUND WARFARE . 73 Mobility versus Autonomy . 74 Firepower and Firebases . 77 Supply, Support, and Security . 83 "Secret" Bombing and Hidden Warfare . 86 Half-Told Tales . 90 Notes . 94 5 PROBLEMS IN THE PERFORMANCE OF TRADITIONAL ROLES . 99 Persistence and Pride . 101 Intelligence and Reconnaissance . 106 Search, Rescue, and Evacuation . 114 Supporting Ground Combat Forces . 118 Notes . 120 6 THE LIMITS OF INNOVATION . 123 Fixed-Wing Gunships: Square Pegs, Varied Holes, and the Penknife of Innovation . 125 War and the Environment . 132 Tactical Innovation and the B-52 . 139 Ground Alternatives for Clearing and Interdiction . 145 Self-Sustaining Change . 148 Notes . 148 PART THREE REFLECTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 7 AIR POWER AND THE AMBIVALENCE OF VIETNAM . 155 War as an Event and as a Process . 161 Limited War and Limited Commitment . 166 Complexity and Simplicity . 171 Managing War and Waging Diplomacy . 175 Between Rigidity and Vacillation . 180 The Illusion of Neutrality. 185 Notes . _. 187 INDEX . 193 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1 Ratio of Enemy to Allied Casualties . 80 2 Impressionistic Representation of Decreasing Doubt/Difficulty of Gunship Fire-Support Role ( ) and Increasing Doubt/ Difficulty ofGunship Interdiction Role(------) . 133 3 Representation of Area of Uncertainty on "Interdictory" versus "Support" Role of Defoliation . 137 Table 1 Missions, Sorties, and Results of Shining Brass, Prairie Fire, and Phu Dung . 111 2 Missions, Sorties, and Results of Daniel Boone, Salem House, and Thot Not . 113 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Foreword Dr Donald J. Mrozek's research sheds considerable light on how the use of air power evolved in the Vietnam War. Much more than simply retelling events, Mrozek analyzes how history, politics, technology, and the complexity of the war drove the application of air power in a long and divisive struggle . Mrozek delves into a wealth of original documentation, and his scholarship is impeccable . His analysis is thorough and balanced. His conclusions are well reasoned but will trouble those who have never seriously considered how the application of air power is influenced by factors far beyond the battlefield. Whether or not the reader agrees with Mrozek, the quality of his research and analysis makes his conclusions impossible to ignore . JOHN C . FRYER, JR. Brigadier General, USAF Commander Center for Aerospace Doctrine, Research, and Education THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr Donald J. Mrozek Donald J. Mrozek is Professor of History at Kansas State University, where he has taught since 1972 . He earned both his MA and PhD degrees at Rutgers University, and his dissertation study on defense policy during the presidency of Harry Truman yielded articles in publications such as Military Affairs and The Business History Review . Later research in wartime and postwar defense issues resulted in articles in such journals as the Annals of Iowa and Missouri Historical Review. In 1980, his article "The Croatan Incident: The US Navy and the Problem of Racial Discrimination after World War II" appeared in Military Affairs. Also in 1980, he co-edited The Martin Marauder and the Franklin Allens: A Wartime Love Story, with Robin Higham and Jeanne Louise Allen Newell . With his colleague Robin Higham, he has also co-edited A Guide to the Sources of U.S. Military History, including the 1981 and 1986 supplementary volumes. Dr Mrozek has also engaged in research, published, and taught American culture. Some of his publications have fused the areas of military and cultural history . In 1980, his essay "The Cult and Ritual of Toughness in Cold War America" appeared in Ray Browne, ed ., Rituals and Ceremonies in Popular Culture . In 1984, "The Interplay of Metaphor and Practice in the US Defense Department's Use of Sport" was published in the Journal ofAmerican Culture, and in 1985, "Sport and the American Military: Diversion and Duty" appeared in.