Flexibility, Reach, and the Vietnam Fire Base

Abstract

The U.S. military historically uses basing as a means to extend operational reach during sustained operations. These same bases offer maneuver commanders options regarding risk and flexibility during missions. In the Vietnam War, the Fire Support Base served as a location for indirect fire systems to support the ground commander. These Fire Support Bases evolved to the modern day Forward Operating Base currently employed in Afghanistan. The purpose of this monograph is to identify some factors that affect the selection of base locations in order to improve efficiency in providing support for the maneuver commander. This monograph focused on how Fire Support Bases were employed during the Vietnam War in different operational strategies. The study found that Fire Support Bases significantly increased operational reach and depth, and furthermore, provided significant options that both reduced risk and increased flexibility to ground commanders.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 22, 2014
Accession Number
ADA612277

Entities

People

  • Eric A. Treschl

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Sensors
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artillery
  • Asymmetric Warfare
  • Combat Areas
  • Combat Operations
  • Combat Support
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Fire Support
  • Geography
  • Indirect Fire
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military History
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • Social Sciences
  • Southeast Asia
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Fire Suppression Systems Design.
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies