1. Airpower Through the Cold War, Pt 2

2. Overview
Vietnam
Rebuilding the Air and Space Force

3. Intro to Vietnam

4. General Causes of the War in Southeast Asia
Regional power vacuum existed in Southeast Asia after WW II
South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia politically unstable
North Vietnam wanted to reunite North and South Vietnam under communist rule
America wanted to prevent the spread of communism, by force if necessary

5. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: August 1964
Passed by Congress 5 August 1964
Radically altered War in Southeast Asia
Empowered President Johnson to…
“take all necessary steps to repel armed attack against US forces”
“take all necessary steps, including force, to assist S Vietnam and any member of SEATO”
Committed US to fight for S. Vietnam
President Lyndon B. Johnson firmly believed in the use of military force to help achieve the country's foreign policy objectives and escalated American involvement in the Vietnam War.

6. Gulf of Tonkin to Vietnamization

7. US Build-Up: 1965 to 1968 March 1965—US Marines and Army arrive
Rolling Thunder bombing campaign began
By 1969, US troop strength reached 543,000 (500,000 supported the war from other Asian countries and Pacific bases)
US became heavily involved in fighting a guerrilla war for which we were not prepared
30 Jan 1968—North Vietnam launched Tet Offensive

8. Horner 1

9. Events Surrounding the Paris Peace Talks
Talks began in 1968; achieved nothing
North Vietnam knew time was on its side
US units continued to withdraw from Vietnam
By 1972, 200,000 US troops had left
March 1972—North Vietnam launched Easter Offensive against South Vietnam
Attack repelled by US airpower (Linebacker I)

10. Events Surrounding the Paris Peace Talks (cont’d)
Talks resumed following Easter Offensive; again, little movement occurred
Late 1972—Nixon ordered massive bombing of North Vietnam (Linebacker II)
Linebacker II forced the North to negotiate in earnest
27 Jan 1973—Peace Accords signed
Called for United States to withdraw all units by Mar 1973

11. Linebacker II and Beyond

12. The Fall of South Vietnam
Between 1973 and 1975, North Vietnam continued to build strength in violation of Peace Accords
Nixon was preoccupied with the Watergate scandal
US Congress tired of Vietnam and refused to help
Feb 1975—North Vietnam launched the Ho Chi Minh campaign against South Vietnam
South Vietnam was easily defeated without US air support
Laos and Cambodia fell quickly thereafter

13. Uses of Airpower: Background
Vietnam War was primarily a land war
Most air power was used in conjunction with ground ops
North stayed above DMZ, so air superiority over the South was never a concern
In-country operations centered around
Interdiction
Close Air Support (CAS)
Airlift
Reconnaissance
Search and Rescue (SAR)
Air-to-Air Refueling
Command and Control (C2)

14. In-Country Air Operations: 1964-73
After Gulf of Tonkin, air units built up rapidly
USAF occupied 10 major air bases
All built and defended by the Air Force
Huge logistical effort
USAF also flew from six bases in Thailand
Navy flew from carriers in Gulf of Tonkin
B-52s flew from Guam; at times even from the United States

15. Uses of Airpower during Vietnamization
Train South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF)
Support South Vietnamese Army
Prevent enemy attacks against withdrawing American units

16. Uses of Airpower: Interdiction
Major mission during SEA war
Aircraft used: F Phantom, F-100 Super Sabre, F-105 Thunderchief (Thud), AC-130 Gunships
B-52—nuclear bomber modified to carry conventional weapons—was best known interdiction aircraft
Arc Light: Name for B-52 interdiction missions
F-100 Supersabre

17. Uses of Airpower: Close Air Support (CAS)
Missions to support forces on the ground
Aircraft used
Gunships—cargo aircraft armed with rapid-fire machine guns—were very effective
Forward Air Controllers (FACs) were used to locate the enemy and mark targets for faster flying jets
A-4 Skyhawk
A-37 Dragonfly
AC-47 Gunships
F-4
A-1 Skyraider
F-100
A-4 Skyhawk
A-1 Skyraider

18. Uses of Airpower: Close Air Support (cont’d)
B-52 Arc Light aircraft were occasionally used for close air support
Used extensively in close air support at Khe Sanh
Flew 2,548 sorties
Dropped bombs within 300 yards of US Marine perimeter
Credited with saving Khe Sanh and repelling the Tet and Easter Offensives

19. Uses of Airpower: Tactical Airlift
Vital to successful US operations because of poor security on roads
Aircraft used—UH-1 Hueys, C-7 Caribous, C-123 Providers, and C-130 Hercules
Missions often flown while under attack
Supplies often air-dropped because of enemy fire and poor landing facilities
A major factor in keeping Khe Sanh alive
C-123 Provider
C-7 Caribou

20. Uses of Airpower: Reconnaissance
Aircraft used—RF-4C, RB-57 Canberra, and RB-66 Destroyers
Aircraft were equipped with variety of cameras and sensing devices
Missions—Locating lucrative targets and assessing battle damage
Valuable player in repelling Tet and protecting Khe Sanh
RB 57 Canberra
RB 66 Destroyer

21. Uses of Airpower: Search and Rescue (SAR)
Extremely important part of air support mission throughout Southeast Asia
Strengthened aircrew morale; fliers knew every effort would be made to save them if shot down
Aircraft used—HH-3 Jolly Green Giants and HH-53 Super Jolly Greens
By 1973, USAF had rescued 3,883 Americans

22. Uses of Airpower: Air-to-Air Refueling
Indispensable! Extended range of combat aircraft and enabled many to return safely
C-130s refueled helicopters; KC-135s refueled fixed- wing aircraft
Strategic Air Command tankers flew 195,000 sorties, unloaded 9 billion pounds of fuel, and took part in 814,000 individual refuelings

23. Major Campaigns: Rolling Thunder
Officially began 2 March 1965
Objectives
Interdict flow of supplies from the North
Force the North to stop supporting Vietcong and quit the war
Raise South Vietnamese morale
RF 4 Phantom

24. Rolling Thunder (cont’d)
Strategic bombing and interdiction campaign
Strategic because it was aimed at the North’s will to wage war
Interdiction because the North had few large industries and got most of their material from China and the Soviet Union
Employed mostly tactical aircraft: F-105s, F-4s, and F-111s. In 1966, B-52s were used in southern part of North Vietnam
F-105
F-111

25. Rolling Thunder: Restrictions
Johnson administration controlled campaign tightly
Targets declared off limits by civilians included…
Targets in Hanoi, Haiphong, China border area
MiG bases and nonfiring SAM sites
Dams, dikes, hydroelectric plants
White House selected targets, weapons, and flying routes with little military input

26. Rolling Thunder: Effect of Restrictions
Graduated increases in bombing intensity worked to advantage of N. Vietnamese
Gave them time to recover from damage
Enabled them to establish world’s most intense antiaircraft defense system
Provided them will to fight on and a sense they could survive
By 1965, it was clear that Rolling Thunder did not work!

27. Rolling Thunder: Conclusions
Impacts
South’s morale improved as the North suffered under bombing
North used frequent halts and restrictions to repair damage and resupply forces in South
Criticism grew at home and internationally
Johnson ended Rolling Thunder prior to 1968 elections
Rolling Thunder campaign, America’s longest, was a failure

28. Major Campaigns: Linebacker I
Easter Offensive (Mar 1972) made it apparent the North was not willing to negotiate
Objectives of Linebacker I
Initially—Close air support effort to aid retreating South Vietnamese forces
Later—Changed to interdiction campaign against North Vietnam
Unlike Rolling Thunder, a systematic campaign with little civilian control
B 52 Stratofortress

29. Linebacker I (cont’d)
Civilian casualties a consideration, but not the determiner of how missions were flown
Haiphong harbor mined for first time to restrict delivery of supplies to the North
Strikes flown over Hanoi and Haiphong
B-52 strikes on Haiphong began in April 1972
“Smart bombs” used extensively

30. Linebacker I: Successes
Linebacker I was the most successful US bombing campaign of the war
Had more impact on the North in 9 months than Rolling Thunder did in 4 years
Successful largely because Easter Offensive was a conventional, mechanized attack
Peace Talks resumed in July 1972
Nixon restricted Linebacker I attacks to below the 20th parallel

31. Major Campaigns: Linebacker II
Peace Talks stalled again in Dec 1972
Nixon ordered Linebacker II to run concurrently with Linebacker I
Purpose of Linebacker II—Force the North Vietnamese to negotiate and sign peace treaty
Ran from 18 Dec to 30 Dec 1972; referred to as “The Christmas Campaign”

32. Linebacker II (cont’d)
Very intense and logistically complex
Specific targets in Hanoi and Haiphong
B-52s used for first time over Hanoi
By end of Linebacker II, N. Vietnam was defenseless
1,200 SAMs were fired
80% of the North’s electrical systems and 25% of their POL facilities were destroyed

33. Linebacker II: Results
North Vietnam returned to the bargaining table on 30 Dec 1972
All bombing ceased on 15 Jan 1973
Peace treaty was signed on 27 Jan 1973
Linebacker II was a success
Some believe that if Rolling Thunder had been conducted like Linebacker II, the war would have ended in 1965—unlikely

34. Interim Summary Uses of Airpower Rolling Thunder Linebacker I
Linebacker II
Vietnam Service Medal

35. Post Vietnam

36. Vietnam War Results
US reluctance to enter military conflicts that don’t directly threaten national interests
Congressional restriction on President’s ability to commit US military forces
Lowered public opinion of government and military
The all-volunteer military force
Increased emphasis on military resources, training, and weapons

37. Results for Southeast Asia
North Vietnam and South Vietnam joined into one country dominated by North Vietnamese communists
Saigon renamed Ho Chi Minh City
Exodus of boat people, many to America
Hundreds of thousands of US supporters sent to "reeducation" camps
Over 6.5 million displaced Vietnamese war refugees
Expected postwar blood bath never materialized

38. The Vietnam War: Lessons Learned
US can’t win a counterinsurgency war in another country; only people of that country can
Force and technology of limited value in a “people’s war”
Realistic assessments by national leaders required before forces are committed
“Know your enemy and know yourself”
“Graduated Response” is an ineffective way to employ airpower 2

39. Lessons Learned (cont’d)
In a democracy, congressional and public support are critical and difficult to get
Modern war is open to public scrutiny
Let those who understand war conduct it
Need for revolutionary not evolutionary technology
Need for precision munitions 3

40. Evolution of Airpower So, what have we learned?
What were significant airpower achievements and changes during this period?
What was the impact of these achievements and changes?

41. Rebuilding the Air and Space Force

42. Rebuilding for Air and Space Video

43. Weapon Systems Two key fighters developed
McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
Close Air Support led to A-10 Thunderbolt
Rockwell B-1B Lancer
Boeing E-3 Sentry (AWACS)
Peacekeeper Missile

44. Second Generation Weapons
Stealth aircraft
Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk
Northrop B-2 Spirit
New airlifter
McDonnell Douglas C-17 Globemaster
Boeing/Grumman E-8 Joint STARS
New advanced fighter
Lockheed Martin F-22

45. Boyd 1

46. Military Operations in the 1980s7 7

47. Grenada
Prime Minister killed in coup in 1983; increased Russian/Cuban influence
US Objectives
Protect US citizens—1000 medical students
Neutralize hostile Grenadian/Cuban elements
Restore legitimate government
Operation URGENT FURY
Army Rangers and 82d Airborne Division
Supported by USAF resources

48. Grenada (cont’d) Lessons Learned
All services must plan and coordinate jointly before operation occurs
Applying overwhelming force quickly is key to victory

49. James Video

50. Libya
Muammar Qaddafi linked to terrorism; specifically, bombing of disco in Berlin
Libyan targets struck in April 1986
Operation EL DORADO CANYON
Air Force F-111s
Navy and Marine aircraft
Four of five main targets severely damaged

51. Libya (cont’d) Lessons Learned Superb joint coordination
United States able to strike terrorists when targets identified
United States willing to strike terrorist targets

52. Panama General Noriega
Indicted on drug trafficking charges
US forces harassed in the Canal Zone
Implied threats to security of the Canal
Marine Lieutenant killed in an incident
President George H.W Bush ordered Operation JUST CAUSE

53. Panama (cont’d) Objectives of Operation JUST CAUSE
Remove Noriega from power
Safeguard Panama Canal
Restore democratic government in Panama
JUST CAUSE began 20 December 1989
AC-130 Spectre gunships used
First use of F-117
Noriega surrenders after seeking refuge in Vatican embassy

54. Panama (cont’d) Lessons Learned
Strike quickly with overwhelming force using mobility, surprise, and precision
Army and Marines recognized need for light deployable forces
Joint coordination had vastly improved since Grenada

55. Summary
Vietnam
Rebuilding the Air and Space Force