Vietnam: Strategic Incompetence It's Causes and Implications

Abstract

The goals and conduct of limited war are reviewed. Political objectives, national and military strategy of the Korean War and the Vietnam War are subjected to comparative analysis. Further, comparison of command structure and national efforts in Korea and Vietnam is drawn. A danger exists that future limited war challenges will be avoided by the US because of the Vietnam experience. It is held that limited war strategy is a necessary capability and that the unhappy experience of Vietnam was caused by inadequate and inept political direction and hampered by faulty strategy. Defeat by default could lead to wider or total war.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 18, 1973
Accession Number
AD0778917

Entities

People

  • James E. Chapman

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Air Defense
  • Classification
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Department Of Defense
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Military Operations
  • Military Strategy
  • National Politics
  • Power
  • Security
  • Students
  • Universities
  • Vietnam War
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Strategic Security Studies