United States Strategy for the Fullest Possible Accounting of U.S. Combatants in Southeast Asia

Abstract

April 30, 1998 marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the fall of Saigon. At the close of the Vietnam War, the United States had lost 58,183 soldiers with 2,583 Americans unaccounted for. Since withdrawing from Southeast Asia (SEA), the U.S. government has sustained an unprecedented effort to achieve the fullest possible accounting for those lost. Currently 2,079 UNITED STATES servicemen remain unaccounted for in SEA, 1552 of those in Vietnam. Although the United States has tried to maintain a diplomatic dialogue with the Vietnamese government, we have not maintained a consistent policy. This study examines the effectiveness of the current United States diplomatic strategy of engagement, especially the goal of promoting Vietnamese cooperation in assisting our efforts to achieve the fullest possible accounting for Americans missing in action (MIAs). It demonstrates that U.S. National Security Strategy with Vietnam has enhanced efforts to achieve the fullest possible accounting.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 14, 1998
Accession Number
ADA364158

Entities

People

  • John J. Kelly

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Commerce
  • Department Of Defense
  • Globalization
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Relations
  • Military Personnel
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • South Vietnam
  • Southeast Asia
  • Task Forces
  • United States
  • United States Pacific Command
  • Vietnam War
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Criminal Law
  • Library and Information Science/ Studies, Southeast Asia Studies, Bibliography of Vietnam and Lao Studies.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.