CHAPTER VII

The Vietnamese Army Absorbs the CIDG Program

The major task of the Special Forces during the last two and a half years of the 5th Group's stay in South Vietnam was to complete the turnover of the Civilian Irregular Defense Group program to the Vietnamese. The concept of Vietnamization, which became the focal point for all U.S. strategy in the period 1968-1969, was not new to the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne). The Vietnamese Special Forces, however, had been slow to develop soldiers of high professional skill, partly because the introduction of large U.S. regular military forces had made the war in Vietnam a more conventional conflict. Nevertheless, command emphasis from the 5th Special Forces Group continued to be placed strongly on the importance of delegating responsibility to the Vietnamese. The goal of conventional forces was the conventional one of winning the war. For Special Forces, however, the goal was to help the South Vietnamese win what was really their war, and that goal was never forgotten. A victory or defeat was a victory or defeat for the people of Vietnam, represented by the indigenous Civilian Irregular Defense Group troops.

The U.S. Special Forces troops were in combat right up until the day they left. New camps continued to be built and old ones were fortified and strengthened in preparation for the Vietnamese take-over. Plans for the transfer of the Civilian Irregular Defense Group program to the Republic of Vietnam were considered as early as 1964 The increased tempo of the war after the 1968 Tet offensive did not permit the regular armed forces of Vietnam to take over border surveillance until 1970. By 1969 it was apparent, however, to the Vietnamese Joint General Staff and the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, that the Vietnam Army had reached a level of competence that would enable it to take over the additional missions of border surveillance and interdiction.

Although Special Forces GIDG camps were regularly converted to Regional Forces status or closed down when an area became