Lessons Learned from Advising and Training the Republic of South Vietnam's Armed Forces

摘要

The United States has a long history of employing military advisors, from the American military occupation of the Philippines throughout the 19th century, the Korea War in the early 1950s, the Vietnam War from 1950 to 1973, El Salvador from 1984 to 1992, to current efforts in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. A strong Iraqi military is needed to support the future democratic government of Iraq. The United States must train the present Iraqi military to successfully take over responsibility for Iraq's security and to combat the ongoing insurgency. When this happens, it will allow the United States to disengage a large portion of its combat units from Iraq. U.S. Army and Marine Corps combat advisors will play a key role in ensuring that the Iraqi military is properly organized, trained, and equipped. There are lessons learned from training and advising the Republic of South Vietnam's Armed Forces (RVNAF) during the Vietnam War that could be applied to the ongoing advisory effort in Iraq. This thesis focuses on the lessons that were learned from selecting, training, and organizing U.S. Army and Marine Corps advisors during the Vietnam War.