Which military strategy did william westmoreland advocate?

William Westmoreland and His Advocacy for the Attrition Strategy

William Childs Westmoreland was a renowned American general who served as the Commander of the United States Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) from 1964 to 1968. During his tenure, he was a strong advocate for the Attrition Strategy, a military strategy that focused on gradually wearing down the enemy through a prolonged and intense campaign of bombing, ground battles, and siege warfare.

The Background

The Vietnam War was a complex and contentious conflict that pitted the communist forces of North Vietnam and the Viet Cong (VC) against the government of South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. In the early 1960s, the war was largely a guerrilla conflict, with the VC employing hit-and-run tactics to disrupt the government’s control over the countryside. The US military, however, was trained and equipped for conventional warfare, and its early efforts to quell the insurgency were often ineffective.

The Attrition Strategy

In 1964, Westmoreland arrived in Vietnam and took command of MACV. He quickly realized that the US military needed to adopt a new strategy to defeat the VC. Westmoreland believed that the key to success lay in attriting the enemy – that is, gradually wearing him down through a sustained campaign of violence and pressure. This strategy involved search and destroy missions, pacification programs, and interdiction campaigns aimed at cutting off the VC’s supply lines and communications.

Westmoreland’s advocacy for the Attrition Strategy was based on several key assumptions:

• The enemy was vulnerable to military pressure: Westmoreland believed that the VC was a fragile organization that could be broken by sustained military pressure.
• The war was a war of numbers: He believed that the US military could simply "out-numb" the VC by throwing more troops and firepower at the problem.
• The enemy would eventually surrender: Westmoreland believed that, as the VC suffered increasing casualties and losses, they would eventually surrender or become demoralized.

The Execution of the Attrition Strategy

Westmoreland’s strategy was executed through a series of large-scale military operations, including:

• Operation Rolling Thunder: A sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam’s infrastructure and military targets.
• Operation Cedar Falls: A major military operation aimed at destroying VC bases and supply lines in the Mekong Delta.
• Operation Junction City: A large-scale military operation aimed at destroying VC forces in the Mekong Delta.

These operations were supported by a range of pacification programs aimed at winning the hearts and minds of the South Vietnamese population. These programs included:

• Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (CORDS): A program aimed at providing economic and social assistance to rural areas.
• Military Civic Action (MCA): A program aimed at providing military assistance to rural areas.

The Impact of the Attrition Strategy

The Attrition Strategy had several significant consequences:

• Heavy casualties: The US military suffered over 58,000 killed and over 300,000 wounded during Westmoreland’s tenure.
• High costs: The war effort was extremely expensive, with the US government spending over $150 billion between 1965 and 1968.
• Divided public opinion: The war became increasingly unpopular, with many Americans questioning the effectiveness of the Attrition Strategy and the morality of the war.

Criticisms of the Attrition Strategy

The Attrition Strategy was criticized for several reasons:

• It failed to achieve its objectives: Despite the heavy casualties and costs, the VC continued to fight, and the war remained deadlocked.
• It failed to win the hearts and minds of the South Vietnamese population: The pacification programs were often ineffective, and many South Vietnamese people remained neutral or sympathetic to the VC.
• It ignored the political context of the war: The Attrition Strategy ignored the political and ideological dimensions of the war, and failed to address the underlying causes of the conflict.

Conclusion

William Westmoreland’s advocacy for the Attrition Strategy was a defining feature of his tenure as Commander of MACV. While the strategy was intended to wear down the enemy through sustained military pressure, it ultimately failed to achieve its objectives and had significant consequences for the US military and the American public. The war remains a complex and controversial topic, and the Attrition Strategy remains a subject of debate among historians and military strategists.

Table: Westmoreland’s Attrition Strategy

Bullets List: Key Assumptions of the Attrition Strategy

• The enemy is vulnerable to military pressure
• The war is a war of numbers
• The enemy will eventually surrender