In nineteen days, II Field Force, Vietnam, had converted the Iron Triangle from a haven to a sealed battleground and then to a military no-man's-land. Years of work spent tunneling and hoarding supplies were nullified. The civilian population was removed, making any enemy attempt to rebuild doubly difficult. Concealment, particularly along lines of communication, was stripped away, exposing the area to future surveillance. Finally, the area was designated a specified strike zone so that it could be interdicted with ease should the enemy attempt to rebuild. A strategic enemy base had been decisively engaged and destroyed.

By all accounts Cedar Falls had to be one of the significant operations in the Vietnam War. Certainly it was the significant operation in January 1967; however, that did not mean that there were no operations being conducted in other areas of Vietnam. In fact, in the III Corps Tactical Zone itself there were eighteen separate major military operations conducted during that month, fifteen of them resulting in contact with the enemy.

Intelligence sources summarized the situation in the III Corps area as Cedar Falls came to a close as follows, perhaps providing some insight into what the future might have in store:

During Operation Cedar Falls the VC losses in personnel were the equivalent of three battalions. These losses however, were widely scattered and cannot be attributed to specific units. . . . [This defeat] coupled with the recent defeat of [9th VC Division] regiments with resultant loss of major supply stockpiles in the Iron Triangle, Tay Ninh and Phuoc Tuy Provinces indicate the VC will require time for resupply, replacement, retraining, and re-indoctrination. To gain time the VC will, in all probability adapt their Winter Campaign Plan to divert attention from Tay Ninh and other areas selected for reoccupation.

But Generals Westmoreland and Seaman and II Field Force, Vietnam, were not going to give the enemy the time they required or the opportunity to divert attention from the areas in which they had been hit. On the horizon loomed JUNCTION CITY, an operation which was to carry the war deep into enemy sanctuaries in War Zone C for an extended period.