Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report. Operation Birmingham

Abstract

The question that has been raised in this report on "Operation Birmingham" is not new. The honest differences of opinion that exist on the part of the ground commander and the air commander at the Tactical Air Control Center (TACC), concerning how much pre-planned air support should be provided, have occurred in past exercises and campaigns. In this operation, stated requirements exceeded the pre-planned sorties provided, except during the last several days of the operation. If Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) is to be used as a yardstick for effectiveness, the amount of the tactical air support provided was not justified by the tangible results. If, however, the fact that the 1st Infantry Division was able to move at will through the heart of a Viet Cong-controlled area with relatively few casualties is considered, the close air support provided may have been the deciding factor, regardless of BDA. Joint doctrine requires that the Senior Ground Force Commander establish requirements by priority for tactical air support within stated air capabilities. In the event of disagreement between the ground commander and the air commander, the joint commander should resolve the allocation of tactical air resources. Because of the existing command structure in South Vietnam, the Air Force Component Commander must make the required decisions on the relative priorities for allocation of air support, except when specific direction is received from COMUSMACV. He must balance requests for pre-planned air support against requirements for other in-country operations of equal or greater importance. From the study, it is clear that additional pre-planned sorties could, and would, have been provided if the initial Viet Cong resistance had been greater. The allocation of pre-planned sorties, although less than requested, appear correct in terms of the overall results of the operation.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 29, 1966
Accession Number
ADA485054

Entities

People

  • Kenneth Sams

Organizations

  • Pacific Air Forces

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Control Centers
  • Air Force
  • Air Strikes
  • Aircrafts
  • Close Support
  • Combat Operations
  • Control Systems
  • Helicopters
  • Materials
  • Military Organizations
  • Munitions
  • Psychological Operations
  • Small Arms
  • South Vietnam
  • Southeast Asia
  • Tactical Air Support
  • Warfare

Readers

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  • Military Science