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Air Force Special Operation Forces During The Indo-China War

 

            Air Force Special Operation Forces during the Indo-China War.
             In the year of 1960, the Laotian government was collapsing, and the powerful and demanding communist forces were invading. A revolutionary war was being fought in Laos and the communist were winning. The Laotian military was fighting guerilla warfare against the communist forces, which was impossible to fight with former tactics. Guerilla warfare is characterized by short, sudden engagements and rapid attacks designed to harass and demoralize the enemy. This guerilla warfare, employed by the communist Pathet Lao and Vietcong forces, was defeating the Laotian military. The United States was not going to lose another country to a communistic government. The United States Air Force felt threatened by the communist wave. Therefore, along with 80, 000 military personnel the United States Air Force sent their elite: highly trained special operations pilots, to destroy the approaching enemy and defend the Laotian natives (Starr iii). By 1961 the United States Air Force's Special Operations Air commandos were flying missions and helping defeat the ever-present enemy forces.
             As the Communist wave swept over Southeast Asia, in 1959, the Laotian government began to fade. Using the Truman Doctrine the United States sent financial aid and advisors to help stop the Laotian governmental decay. The United States advisors established a Program Evaluation Office to direct United States money to the Lao Armed Forces (Haas 164). At this time the United States made a commitment to help the Laotians fight by sending two Air Force intelligence officers, dubbed "Controlled American Sources," whose main mission was to teach Laotian military how to fly and fight the invasion. The "Controlled American Sources" also planned and directed more efficient ways of military containment of the invading forces. The "Controlled America Sources" were sent the help of Major Heinie Aderholdt, a sage of information on how to fight the guerrilla tactics; plus an airdrop of 2000 weapons to help teach and defend the Laos's government as well as the Hmong tribes (who soon become to most useful defense against the communist invasion)(Haas 165).


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