0 - The Black Vault

THE BDM CORPORATION
A former Vietnamese Corps and Military Region Commander had the
following to say about the territorial forces of this period:'
From their inception to 1960, botn the Civil Guard
and Self-Cefense Corps were neither adequately eauipped
nor orcanized and controlled to accomplish their missions
in a satisfactory manner, This derived in good
part from thre lack of US, support. South Vietnamese
and U.S. viewpoints differed greatly as to the role and
-significance assigned to these forces. It was South
Vietnam's desire to turn the Civil Guard and Self-
Defence Corps into strong territorial forces capablt of
assisting the regular ARVN in defense missions. Therefore,
the Civil Guard in particular should be organized
into battalions and regimental-size units, sufficieirtly
equipoed and armed to defeat enemy local forces. The
saw it SU.S., differently, however. As expressed through
the Civil Guard t-aining program developed by the
Michigan State University (MSU) group, the U.S. corisidered
the CG nothing more than a rural police force
and neither the CG nor the SOC was supported by the
Military Assistance Program (MAP).72/
v matters
j
As VC activity increased in 1960, the USOM expended significant
efforts to develop and incredse the combat effectiveness of the territorial
forces.
To facilitate support, Diem placed the Civil Guara and the Self-
Defense Corps under the MinisLry of ½efense.
provide advisers to work directly with the Civil Guard
That act allowed the MAAG to
Directorate in
involving training and equipment.73/ In a further refinement, the
GVN merged the Self-Defense Corps Directorate with the Civil Guard'a com--
mand
structure and disbanded the SDC's provincial and district officers,
placing their control under a combined direction.
territoriil forces significantly improved their unity of command.
ihis integration of
Notwithstanding the new arrangement under the Ministry of Defense
and improved access to US military assistance, the CG and SDC remained the
"step children" of the growing RVNAF family until their total integration
with the armed forces in 1964.,74/ Before integration, the CC and SDC
forces received no support from the RFNAF although they performed increasingly
difficult missions combating the VC
and suffered the same hardship
5-29