0 - The Black Vault

THE BDM CORPORATION
establishing and scheduling the force jiicrements to be redeployed.,
activity required the determination of units to be included in each force
increment package, and the sizing of the package -- manpower spaces and
tonnage,
This
analysis of port capability in country and available shipping.
changes required in the existing stationing program, and impact on existing
in-country interservice agreements.
Frequent assessments of the enemy's capabilities were alsc condusted
as the vulnerability of tne command in country would be increased
with each force redeployment.
The initial planning effort consiaered the
continued presence of South Korea's two army divisions in the northern part
of the country thru 1971, It was further assumed that the South Korean
Marine Brigade would be returning to South Korea sometime in mid 1971. The
assessment of US withdrawals from MR I indicated an imralance of coGbat
forces remaining in that region and the RVN
force structure was amended to
include provisions for an additional combat division in MR I. Unfortunately
considerable delay was experienced in organizing and equipping the
additional division (The division designated, the 3rd ARVN Division, was
heavily pounded by greatly siperior NVA units in the Easter offensive, but
before it broke it had held on at Dong Ha for a month),
field commander,
The need for tactical air resources, immediately available to the
ground forces picked up.
became increasingly important as the withdrawal of combat
Where possible, tact~cal air units which could
perform their missions from bases in Fhailand were relocated out of GVN
order to permit maximum utilization of the ever-declining, troop-ceiling
spaces authorized for the forces remaining in country.
Table 6-1.
Composition of the redeplovment force increments are indicated in
in
CC, ASSESSMENT OF US WITHDRAWAL
1. Influences Leadin_ to Withdrawal
A detailed discussion of the key decisions and decision makers
involved in the US withdrawal from Vietnam is c-ovided in Volume III of
6-9