What did the declassified documents reveal?

A Study of Strategic Lessons Learned in Vietnam, Vol. VI Bk.1: Operational Analyses Released through The Black Vault, a digital archive of declassified documents, this study is a comprehensive analysis of the conduct of the war in Vietnam. The document is a final draft submitted to the Department of the Army's Strategic Studies Institute in 1981. The study, conducted by the BDM Corporation, is a part of a larger series of volumes examining the US involvement in Vietnam. Volume VI, Conduct of the War, is divided into two books: Book One, Operational Analyses, and Book Two, Functional Analyses. The foreword of the study notes that the primary intent of this volume is to shed light on how one can "win" most of the battles and still "lose" the war. The authors acknowledge that the US lost most of the battles, yet ultimately won in both the American Revolution and the War of 1812. The study's preface highlights the complexity and scale of the war, which necessitated the division of the volume into two books. Book One examines the "Art of War" as it unfolded in Indochina, while Book Two covers the "Science of War" through functional analyses. The purpose of Volume VI, Book 1, is to trace and analyze the early advisory efforts and examine the combat support provided by US units during the counterinsurgency phase of the Second Indochina War. The study provides extensive treatment of the period from 1965 through 1968, when America took charge, and the 1968 Tet Offensive. The study concludes that if any conventional warfare lessons are to be derived from the Vietnam experience, this period offers the most useful examples of what to do and what not to do. Pacification and Vietnamization are also treated briefly in this volume, and in detail in Volume V. The views, opinions, and findings contained in this report are those of the authors and should not be construed as an official Department of the Army position, policy, or decision unless so designated by other documentation. Declassification of the BDM Study, "The Strategic Lessons Learned in Vietnam," was approved by the Defense Technical Information Center on March 9, 1981. This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. For more information, visit storyflo.com. The canonical URL for this document is https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/vietnam/ADA096429.pdf.

Why was this case declassified?

This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process.

Case · DAILY-017

A Study of Strategic Lessons Learned in Vietnam, Vol. VI Bk.1: Operational Analyses

JUL 6 · 2026Narrated by daily-declassified-a-study-of-strategic-lessons-learned-in-vietnam-vol-vi-bk-3 minLast updated July 6, 2026

The short version

A Study of Strategic Lessons Learned in Vietnam, Vol. 1: Operational Analyses Released through The Black Vault, a digital archive of declassified documents, this study is a comprehensive analysis of the conduct of the war in Vietnam. The document is a final draft submitted to the Department of the Army's Strategic Studies Institute in 1981.

Date: JUL 6 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)

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A Study of Strategic Lessons Learned in Vietnam, Vol. VI Bk.1: Operational Analyses Released through The Black Vault, a digital archive of declassified documents, this study is a comprehensive analysis of the conduct of the war in Vietnam. The document is a final draft submitted to the Department…

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What was A Study of Strategic Lessons Learned in Vietnam, Vol. VI Bk.1: Operational Analyses about?: A Study of Strategic Lessons Learned in Vietnam, Vol. 1: Operational Analyses Released through The Black Vault, a digital archive of declassified documents, this study is a comprehensive analysis of the conduct of the war in Vietnam. The document is a final draft submitted to the Department of the Army's Strategic Studies Institute in 1981.
Why was this case declassified?: This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. Storyflo narrates it directly from the public release.

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