A-1-408)[8], A gold color metal and enamel device 2 inches (5.1cm) in height consisting of a design similar to the shoulder sleeve insignia. In April 1966, all Army communications-electronics resources in South Vietnam were combined in a single formation, the 1st Signal Brigade. Besides these fact sheets, the DAO furnished the congressional delegation a paper called "Vietnam Perspective." The Communications and Electronics Division supervised a contract which provided communications for DAO, the US Embassy, and other U.S. agencies. The division also gave technical support, through contractors, to South Vietnamese military communications systems. Called the United States Support Activities Group & 7th Air Force (USSAG/7th AF), it was to be located at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base in northeast Thailand. The original MACV Headquarters were colocated with MAAG at 606 Trn Hng o, Cholon. Operations to prevent the mining of the Long Tau shipping channel became a high priority. MARKET TIME activities were subsequently moved to Cam Ranh Bay. During late 1954 and 1955, the Navy presence in Saigon increased to handle the large numbers of refugees from the north. The blue center represents the United States, together with the sword it alludes to the U.S. Military in Vietnam. Deactivation. Command then passed to the Commander USSAG/Seventh Air Force at Nakhon Phanom. This was Commander, Naval Forces, Vietnam (ComNavForV) with headquarters in Saigon. To accomplish its mission while planning on phasing out, DAO had to employ contractors to perform many functions. The Defense Attach Office Saigon was organized according to requirements established by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, CINCPAC, and MACV, and was activated on 28 January 1973. Designated as Task Force Oregon, it included the 196th Infantry Brigade; the 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division at Chu Lai Base Area; and the 1st Brigade, 10lst Airborne Division. [1]:87 General Vin restricted ARVN operations in each Corps to one 10-day operation per month. MACV was first implemented to assist the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) Vietnam, controlling every advisory and assistance effort in Vietnam. [8]:197, 9th MAB intelligence photo of the DAO Compound with LZs marked, 9th MAB post-operation map of the DAO Compound and Air America Compound with LZs marked, A Marine provides security as helicopters land at the DAO Compound, Vietnamese evacuees board a CH-53 at LZ 39, Aerial reconnaissance photos of the destroyed DAO Headquarters building with Air America Compound in the foreground, The evacuation of Saigon and the subsequent surrender of South Vietnam on 30 April 1975 effectively terminated the existence of the DAO, however a DAO residual office was established at Fort Shafter, Hawaii on 29 April. The Defense Attach Office, Saigon (also known as DAO, Saigon or simply DAO) was a joint-service command and military attach branch of the United States Department of Defense (DOD) under the control of United States Support Activities Group (USSAG). At 11:00 on the 29th, in a simple ceremony, General Weyand furled the colors of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, and formally inactivated it. Explore our Navy section: awards, stories, points of interest, origin of navy terminology and much, much more! In contrast to the carrier, amphibious, and naval gunfire support forces and, at least during early 1965, the coastal patrol force, which Commander Seventh Fleet directed, the Navy's forces within South Vietnam were operationally controlled by COMUSMACV. With the change of July 1965, both positions were occupied by the same individual, Westmoreland. This headquarters was to become the Defense Attache Office, Saigon. Through July 1965 there was a constant exchange of views between Westmoreland and General John K. Waters, Commander in Chief, U.S. Army, Pacific, concerning the establishment of a separate Army component command under MACV. Hunt Jr. came over to Saigon to fill in as Defense Attache until the newly appointed MG Homer D. Smith could arrive. [193] CHAPTER X Airmobile Developments, 1968 Change of Command at Military Assistance Command, Vietnam On 11 June 1968, General William C. Westmoreland passed command of the U. S. forces in Vietnam to General Abrams, who would serve as Acting Commander until General Westmoreland was sworn in as Chief of Staff of the Army on 3 July. [1]:189 The DAO remained under the command of commander of MACV until the deactivation of MACV on 27 March at which time command passed to the Commander USSAG/7th AF at Nakhon Phanom. [3]:51[4], The DAO occupied the offices turned over to it by MACV adjacent to Tan Son Nhut Airport, and most of its employees and officials conducted their work from those offices. [8]:26870, On 2 July 1966 construction started on a new purpose-built facility. Each month, the port facilities in Saigon handled 330,000 tons of cargo from 96 ships, transported 40,000 tons of cargo to other destinations within Vietnam, acquired 2.73 million cubic feet of warehouse storage, maintained 54 bachelor officers and enlisted quarters, the real estate division was managing 318 construction contracts, and the 109 medical personnel of the Saigon Station Hospital treated thousands of patients. "[5]:83, Signs of the coming PAVN offensive did not go unobserved. It was also told to plan for an early reduction in strength and disestablishment, the latter expected to occur within a year. [5]:324, An Alternate DAO Programs Activity Office was established at Nakhon Phanom in April to administer military assistance and on 18 April the chief of the military assistance division was directed to proceed to Nakhon Phanom, it was expected that up to 100 staff would follow, however this movement was overcome by events. The ARVN would get about US$410 million, half of what it needed. Both share some 30 buoy-discharge sites in the river. These developments strengthened the arguments of planners who wanted an Army headquarters to command U.S. Army ground forces. The Command was further charged to furnish In March 1965, Westmoreland began a search for a new location large enough to accommodate the entire headquarters. Do you have CMAC, CAPITOL MILITARY ASSISTANCE COMMAND SAIGON Reunion information you'd like to share. [1]:50[2], Westmoreland, however, proposed: that the U.S. Army Support Command be redesignated U.S. Army, Vietnam (USARV); that he personally retain the responsibilities of the Army component commander and be made Commanding General, USARV; that the incumbent commanding general of the U.S. Army Support Command be redesignated Deputy Commanding General, USARV; and that all Army units deployed to South Vietnam be assigned to the USARV headquarters. [1]:1456, In mid-March General Smith requested the Pentagon to prioritise all South Vietnamese equipment requests and he passed on General Khuyen's request for the LSTs previously proposed by General Murray. On 23 and 24 September, the House and Senate appropriated only US$700 million for Vietnam in the Defense Appropriation Bill for FY 75. Explore a glossary of terms, manuals, statistics, historical accounts and reports, maps and articles by MRFA members. United States Army Republic of Vietnam (USARV) was a corps-level support command of the United States Army in the Vietnam War. The Defense Attach was the representative of the United States Secretary of Defense (and CINCPAC) with respect to the U.S. security assistance program in South Vietnam and coordinated with the Service divisions in their planning and management of the respective Military Assistance Service Funded (MASF) programs in support of the South Vietnamese military. As a result, on 1 April 1966, Naval Forces, Vietnam, was established to control the Navy's units in the II, III and IV Corps Tactical Zones. Search this site. American leaders established the Military Assistance Advisory Command, Vietnam, in May 1964. Following the Fall of Saigon, it was taken over as a . During the twelve months of 1964, HSAS supplied over 100 local and field exchanges, maintained 186,000 square feet of warehouse space, 200,000 cubic feet of refrigerated storage, and 127,000 square feet of outside storage. Engler concluded that MACV was no longer operating as a military assistance command in the true sense of the term, since U.S. tactical forces had been so greatly increased and their mission expanded. The attach element was under the supervision of the Defense Attach and the United States Ambassador to South Vietnam to the extent provided by law and in accordance with Executive orders and such other instructions as the President of the United States might promulgate. MILITARY ASSISTANCE COMMAND, VIETNAM, APO San Francisco 96222 JOINT DIRECTIVE NUMBER 2-67 UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNA TIONA L DE VE LOPME NT Saigon, Vietnam . Squadrons of SP-2 Neptune maritime aircraft flew from Tan Son Nhut airfield in support of MARKET TIME activities. troops. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. In early 1965, a headquarters and operations center was established at the NAG for the Commander, Coastal Surveillance Force. [3]:645, In June 1967 COMUSMACV approved the replacement of a USARV staff section that had handled civil affairs and civic action with an assistant chief of staff for Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support.[4]. Contact Us Shop Military Gear Recognize these names from Saigon Support Command, Vietnam? 318 crew in training would return to Vietnam between August and December 1974, while 347 crew would stay to complete their training. The service divisions corresponded to their predecessor elements in MACV, except for the advisory role, their basic missions being to support the self-sufficiency of the South Vietnamese military. e The staff . The entire Army military assistance and The new complex soon earned the nickname "Pentagon East. [8]:270. Because DAO Saigon was subordinate to USSAG in operational and intelligence fields, the normal flow of tasking and reporting was through USSAG to CINCPAC and the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington. 472.3 RECORDS OF HEADQUARTERS OF THE U.S. MILITARY ASSISTANCE COMMAND VIETNAM (MACV) 1958-73 2,270 lin. [1]:18, The DAO was established as a subsidiary command of MACV and was activated on 28 January 1973 with United States Army Major General John E. Murray, the former MACV Director of Logistics as the Defense Attach and United States Air Force Brigadier General Ralph J. Maglione, formerly the MACV J-1 (Director for Manpower and Personnel), as deputy Defense Attach. To improve logistics flow to naval units in the field, NSA Saigon established subordinate detachments at An Thoi, Cam Ranh Bay, Cat Lo, Nha Be, Qui Nhon, Can Tho-Binh Thuy, Dong Tam, Sa Dec, Vinh Long, Vung Tau, and Ben Luc. [6]:15, Commander Naval Forces, Vietnam (COMNAVFORV) also controlled the Naval Support Activity Saigon (NSA Saigon), which supplied naval forces in the II, III and IV Corps areas. [6]:4456, His term of assignment completed, and facing retirement, General Murray left Saigon in August 1974. This meant that, unlike other programs funded by the United States Congress in a military assistance appropriations act, the money for support of the South Vietnamese military was contained in the Army, Navy and Air Force sections of the DOD appropriations bill. In August 1950, eight officers and men arrived in Saigon to staff the Navy section of the newly created Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG), Indochina. ft. and 1,654 rolls of microfilm 472.3.1 Records of the Office of the Secretary of the Joint Staff 472.3.2 Records of the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Economic Affairs Join Your Unit Today. Combat and administrative support units had added about 30,000, for a new strength of over 100,000. Through careful reconnaissance, registration, and siting of batteries in concealed locations, the attacker concentrated heavy fires on small targets, while the defender had to search great areas, cover many avenues of approach and suspected enemy positions, and use much larger amounts of ammunition in the defense. To see first-hand the situation which the White House said justified at least the US$300 million requested several members of Congress and their staff aides journeyed to South Vietnam. Small field offices were located in Da Nang, Pleiku, Qui Nhon, Nha Trang, Bien Hoa, Long Binh, Nha Be, ng Tm, Binh Thuy and Can Tho. [7]:38. The military and commercial activities each utilize six berths. JOINT DIRECTIVE 2-67 21 January 1967 Lieutenant General Bruce Palmer, Jr., who succeeded Engler on 1 July 1967, elevated the logistic advisory group within the USARV staff to a general staff section, which he designated the Military Assistance Section. A cyclone fence, topped with barbed wire and with watch towers at intervals, provided close-in protection. After reorganization he was succeeded by General William C. Westmoreland in June 1964, followed by General Creighton W. Abrams (July 1968) and General Frederick C. Weyand (June 1972). [7]:37 General Smith remained in command and requested that his key officers write their personal accounts of the events preceding the withdrawal and this was published in the final DAO report "RVNAF Final Assessment January through April 1975". The old Navy section of MAAG became the Naval Advisory Group, Vietnam, and by the end of 1964 there were 235 naval personnel in the 4,900-man MACV command to attend to the needs of the growing Vietnamese Navy. The Port of Saigon has 12 deep-draft quays for ocean-going ships. Service Support in Vietnam: Transportation and Maintenance Service support described in the next three chapters include the transportation, maintenance, construction, facilities engineering, real estate, communications and aviation elements logistics. [3]:52, The Defense Attach was assisted by an attach element consisting of Service attachs and assistant Service attachs who performed traditional Defense Attach functions. [8]:195 At 19:30 General Carey directed that the remaining elements guarding the Annex be withdrawn to DAO Headquarters (the Alamo) where the last of the evacuees would await their flight. The second wave of 12 CH-53s from HMH-463 landed in the DAO Compound at 15:15 bringing in the rest of the BLT. The conquering Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces crushed a few pockets of resistance by diehard defenders and . Following this meeting Vin met with his head of logistics General Dong Van Khuyen and they agreed to cut ammunition and fuel supplies for all units. Waters favored an Army component command with its own commander. [9]:18, The DAO was established as a subsidiary command of MACV and remained under the command of commander of MACV until the deactivation of MACV on 27 March 1973. It also provided liaison and assistance to the JGS and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Signal Department. [1]:87 The DAO calculated that at this funding level by 30 June 1975 the South Vietnamese military would have only a 30 day supply of ammunition and almost no fuel. However, HSAS continued to function with increased responsibilities during 1965. "[7]:471. [11]:52 The DAO was activated on 28 January 1973 with United States Army Major General John E. Murray, formerly MACV director of logistics, as the Defense Attach and United States Air Force Brigadier General Ralph J. Maglione, formerly the MACV J-1 (Director for Manpower and Personnel), as deputy Defense Attach. Thiu however believed that the Nixon administration would be able to convince Congress to restore the funding and no land would need to be abandoned. [6]:433 General Smith later wrote that "crippling limitations were imposed on firepower and mobility All of this had a debilitating effect on morale and gave strong encouragement to the enemy. The new designation went into effect on 1 March 1964. The technical assistance provided by the military and senior civilian officials of DAO and by the contractors was essential to the South Vietnamese military's modernization and expansion, but the South Vietnamese military would get no advice on military operations, tactics, or techniques of employment. [6]:45, Major component commands of MACV were:[2]:60. (TIOH Dwg. [2]:59, MACV was disestablished on 29 March 1973 and replaced by the Defense Attach Office (DAO), Saigon. It was located near the city of Saigon in southern Vietnam.The United States used it as a major base during the Vietnam War (1959-1975), stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there. On the other hand, the PAVN not only possessed considerable flexibility in choosing objectives and selecting forces to employ, but it also had six full-strength infantry divisions, adequately supported by artillery, tanks and supplies, to throw into the battle at the decisive moment. Supply support for organizational clothing and equipment will be the responsibility of Headquarters Commandant, MACV. Historical Note: The Naval Forces Vietnam command had its origins in the Navy Section of the Military Assistance Advisory Group, Indochina, which was established in 1950 . Additional American forces were required to stem the increased communist tide. (U.S. Air Force photo) [1]:82. The 1st Signal Brigade operated the many elements of the Defense Communications System in South Vietnam. c Attached for administration and logistics. By mid-year of 1973 the total was reduced by half. [8]:196 Between 19:00 and 21:00 General Carey transferred three platoons (130 men) of BLT 2/4 into the Embassy Compound to provide additional security and assistance for the Embassy. That amount of ammunition could be used in less than three months of intensive combat and would disappear in nine months even at the austere rates imposed by the JGS. The Navy's Headquarters Support Activity, Saigon (HSAS), was established in July 1962. At the end of 1964, American leaders anticipated a major build-up of U.S. and allied forces within the Republic of Vietnam. The DAO remained in existence until August 1975. On 25 September 1967 the 23rd Infantry (Americal) Division) was activated to control the blocking force, replacing the provisional task force HQ. By mid-1967, USARV, 1st Logistical Command, and many other Army units dispersed in Saigon were moved to Long Binh Post to resolve centralization, security, and troop billeting issues. Print Friendly. The Naval Support Facility at Newport carried out a similar transfer. [3]:41 That year the U.S. strength in Vietnam grew from about 16,000 men (10,716 Army) to about 23,300 (16,000 Army) in 1964. A carryover from the days of active U.S. military participation in the war, the Military Assistance Service Funded (MASF) program for South Vietnam became obsolete with the departure of U.S. forces from Indochina in January 1973. Sitemap. Its purpose was to examine the problems that had arisen because the MACV organization lacked a single staff focal point to coordinate and monitor all aspects of the assistance effort. The Navys Headquarters Support Activity, Saigon (HSAS), was established in July 1962. To improve co-ordination and management of communications-electronics assets, the brigade commander served as the U.S. Army, Vietnam, staff adviser on all matters pertaining to Army communications-electronics. In April 1967, General Westmoreland, who had arrived in June 1964 as Commander of MACV, organized a division-sized blocking force along the border between North and South Vietnam. The building was designed and constructed under the supervision of the U.S. Navy Officer in Charge of Construction RVN. With the signing of the Paris Peace Accords all American and third country forces were to be withdrawn within 60 days of the cease-fire. It also continued to provide messing, berthing, medical and dental, administrative, and personnel services during this time. The rest of the support was provided by the United States Navy through Headquarters Support Activity, Saigon because the Navy had been designated as the executive agency responsible for supporting the Military Assistance and Advisory Groups and missions in Southeast Asia. U.S. Marines unload from a C-123 at Calu, South Vietnam. Inside, according to one staff officer, "the well-waxed corridors had the fluorescent feel of an airport terminal." Transfer of the main body, drawn largely from the operations and intelligence sections of MACV and Seventh Air Force, began on 10 February. Long Binh Post ( Tng kho Long Bnh) is a former U.S. Army base located in Long Bnh, ng Nai between Bin Ha and Saigon, Vietnam. Armored vehicles, mostly tanks, had risen from about 100 to over 700, while the number of medium artillery pieces was over 400, up from about 100. I brought this copy home with me and have preserved it intact for all these years. [9]:189, By 29 March, the only American military personnel left in South Vietnam were the U.S. delegates to the Four-Party Joint Military Commission established under the Paris Peace Accords to oversee the ceasefire, themselves in the process of winding up work and departing; the fifty man DAO military contingent; and a 143-man Marine Security Guard. [5]:612 General Murray advised the Pentagon that "the ARVN is compelled to trade off blood for ammo, that the casualties are going up as the ammo allocations go down. Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive Digital Materials. This eventually included the major combat formations: Coastal Surveillance Force (Task Force 115), River Patrol Force (Task Force 116) and Riverine Assault Force (Task Force 117). In June 1972, the NSA Saigon turned over its assets and responsibilities to the Vietnamese and was disestablished. A full archive of past and present "River Currents" newsletters from your friends at MRFA. USSAG was activated on 11 February 1973 under the command of commander of MACV, but at 08:00 on 15 February, USAF General John W. Vogt Jr., as USSAG/7AF commander, took over from MACV control of American air operations. [5] Initially, Westmoreland exercised this command through the Chief, Naval Advisory Group. On 20 July 1965 a letter of instruction from U.S. Army, Pacific, headquarters spelled out the new command relationship. Date Range: 1950-1964 Content: 18,669 images Source Library: National Archives (U.S.) Detailed Description: Historical Description MAAG, Indochina; MAAG, Vietnam In September 1950, President Harry Truman sent a Military Assistance Advisory Group(MAAG) to Vietnamto assist the French in the First Indochina war. Of these, more than half were involved in aircraft maintenance, another large group was in communications and electronics, and the rest worked in technical fields ranging from vehicle repair and overhaul to ship overhaul and maintenance. On this airlift, thirteen C-123s delivered 475 troops and over 12,000 pounds of equipment. [1]:87 General Hunt continued the conferences and working sessions between DAO and JGS staffs to revise the MASF program within the US$700 million appropriation. The "Commander, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam" was known by the abbreviation COMUSMACV (/km.jusmkvi/ "com-U.S.-mack-vee"). The brigade from the 101st Airborne Division was originally planned to replace the 173d Airborne Brigade but, with the need for additional combat forces, both brigades remained in South Vietnam. Join VetFriends To: Reunite with Unit Buddies. Two corps-level HQs were established in 1965-66, Task Force Alpha (soon to become I Field Force, Vietnam) for U.S. forces in the II Corps Tactical Zone and II Field Force, Vietnam, for U.S. Army forces in the III Corps Tactical Zone. The DAO residual office closed on 31 August 1975 and CINCPAC staff assumed any residual functions. In late April 1966, with the Saigon regime locked in a tense confrontation with Buddhist and ARVN rebels in I Corps, Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. and Westmoreland reopened the effort to acquire the Tan Son Nhut soccer field. MACV occupied its new headquarters early in August 1967. [1]:18, The DAO was organized into 6 main divisions: Army, Navy, Air Force, communications-electronics, operations and plans and support. The South Vietnamese, even when they were able to discover the enemy's intent in advance, were often unable to move sufficient reserves to the battle area in time to forestall defeat in detail. [8], The United States Army Vietnam was not authorized a Distinctive Unit Insignia ("Crest") by the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry. [9]:18, The advance echelon of USSAG/7AF moved from Tan Son Nhut Air Base to Nakhon Phanom on 29 January 1973. The MRFA is launching our Historical Data Project (HDP), featuring as much MRF TF-117 data as possible. Yellow and red are the colors of Vietnam. [2]:441, In early 1967,in order to improve South Vietnamese military morale and reduce desertion rates, COMUSMACV ordered USARV to assume responsibility for improving the South Vietnamese military field ration utilization, for garrison ration commodities and for the distribution system. On 24 May the Secretary of Defense requested retention of a skeleton residual DAO until 31 August 1975 because of continuing Congressional interest and inquiries concerning Vietnam. Explore our catalog and purchase official MRFA gear here. [3]:45 In May 1965, the Army's 173d Airborne Brigade from Okinawa arrived. The DAO performed many of the same roles of MACV within the restrictions imposed by the Paris Peace Accords until the Fall of Saigon. Army Support Command. Under his proposal, administrative and logistical functions concerning U.S. Army activities would be transferred from MACV headquarters to the new component command; the Army advisory effort would be similarly shifted, although the MACV commander would retain operational control. The HSAS transported mail, commissary and exchange items to far-flung U.S. bases in-country and along the coast. USARV controlled the activities of all U.S. Army service and logistical units in South Vietnam through ten major support commands and also supervised 71 smaller units under the organizational titles "offices", "agencies", "groups", "facilities", "centers", "depots", "teams", "activities", "elements", "companies", and "detachments". [3]:601 It supported the combat signal battalions of the divisions and field forces in each corps area. The FY 75 POL allocation was projected to be US$154 million, but when the US defense allocation was reduced this amount was reduced to US$60 million with the result that POL supply to the South Vietnamese military was reduced by 50 percent. U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam ( MACV) was a joint-service command of the United States Department of Defense . At 13:50, two UH-1 helicopters carrying United States Marine Corps General Richard E. Carey and Colonel Alfred M. Gray (commander of Regimental Landing Team 4) landed at the DAO Compound. Its first assigned mission was to operate water terminals at Saigon, Nha Be, Cat Lai, Cam Ranh Bay, Vung Tau, Qui Nhon, Nha Trang, Phan Rang and other locations as directed. With an initial authorized strength of 216 men (113 Army), MACV was envisaged as a temporary HQ that would be withdrawn once the Viet Cong insurgency was brought under control. Social Media The Sextant. Although HSAS was replaced by the Armys own logistics commands for general support, naval units in the southern part of Vietnam continued to need Navy-specific support. Two months later, the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), recently reorganized from an infantry formation, reported in country, and the rest of the 1st Infantry Division arrived in October. See more. U.S. Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support, Republic of Korea armed forces in Vietnam, confrontation with Buddhist and ARVN rebels, "Naval Forces Vietnam Monthly Historical Summary April 1966", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Military_Assistance_Command,_Vietnam&oldid=1148343610, This page was last edited on 5 April 2023, at 16:13. The DAO concluded that North Vietnam was not yet ready for a major, decisive offensive despite heavy infiltration of replacements, some PAVN units in the South were still too far understrength, but that as the failures of the political struggle became more evident, the PAVN would embark on a phased offensive to create gradually conditions beyond the capacity of South Vietnam to cope with.
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