A Study of Strategic Lessons Learned in Vietnam, Vol. VIII: Results of the War

COLD OPEN: This is a declassified document, a study of strategic lessons learned in Vietnam, Volume VIII: Results of the War. Released through The Black Vault, it's a comprehensive research effort by The BDM Corporation under contract to the US Army. The study was approved for public release in 1981. PROVENANCE: The document was declassified and released through The Black Vault's document archive, a collection of publicly available records. The canonical PDF is available at https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/vietnam/ADA096432.pdf. THE DOCUMENT: This is Volume VIII of the Study, Results of the War. The BDM Corporation submitted this final draft to DAMO-SSP in accordance with the provisions of Contract No. DAAG 39-78-C-0120. The study aims to identify and analyze lessons that should be learned from three decades of US involvement in Vietnam. "The views of the authors do not purport to reflect the positions of the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense." This volume assesses the results of the war for the US in terms of its society and government, the image and credibility of the nation, US foreign policy and military posture, the regional and world balance of power, and US alliances and commitments. The study assumes a format and methodology unique to this particular volume, with a focus on major themes and essays. Essay I discusses lessons from history, particularly as they relate to Vietnam, while Essay 2 concentrates on the evolving international order and the role that Vietnam had in shaping both this order and the United States' role in it. Essay 3 assesses the results of the war for the US homefront, focusing on the effects of Vietnam for the US public, its perceptions of the US government's role in both domestic and international politics, and changes in national-level decision making which developed as a result of Vietnam. Essay 4 offers a general and thematic discussion of Vietnam's implications for the US military and, particularly, for the US Army. Topics addressed include the All-Volunteer Army, military perceptions of limited war and the strategy of attrition, and the impact of Vietnam on military training for future threats and crises. Essay 5 provides an overview of changes in Southeast Asia which have occurred since the final defeat in 1975, and which were, in part, shaped by the Vietnam war. CONTEXT: The study was submitted to DAMO-SSP in accordance with the provisions of Contract No. DAAG 39-78-C-0120, and was approved for public release in 1981. OUTRO: This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. The BDM Corporation's study of strategic lessons learned in Vietnam, Volume VIII: Results of the War, is a comprehensive research effort that provides a unique perspective on the US experience in Vietnam. The full document is available at https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/vietnam/ADA096432.pdf.