Complete air supremacy does not equate to victory on the ground or at sea, and our enemies quickly figure out our political and moral limitations.

Vietnam is a good example.

By the early 1970s, the US had nearly complete air supremacy over North Vietnam. However, because the North Vietnamese embedded critical military infrastructure among civilians, American air strikes only made minimal strategic difference. In a time of domestic dissidence, the US could not decisively impact the war with air power alone.

Amphibious Raid

In 1972, I was a Marine Corps Second Lieutenant. I wrote an article for the Marine Corps Gazette suggesting we could break the stalemate with a massive amphibious raid into North Vietnam.

I proposed a 60 to 90-day incursion that would destroy their standing army, military infrastructure, and ports. I advocated a sea-based option because the Vietnamese insurgents would be less likely to disrupt our lines of communications and would never know where we would strike next.

It was the Cold War, and most American policymakers feared a large-scale incursion would bring intervention by the Soviet Union or China. I argued that by the time either of those could effectively intervene the Marines would be gone and that it would take Hanoi years before it would be able to launch a successful invasion of South Vietnam.

I believed this would give the South time to build an effective, productive, and Western-oriented democracy such as South Korea was becoming.

Not surprisingly, the administration was unwilling to take strategic advice from a Second Lieutenant and the country’s mood would not have supported major military action. By 1975, South Vietnam had collapsed under a Northern invasion.

Many Americans who did not live through that period (and some who did) believe Saigon fell to Viet Cong peasants armed only with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades. In actuality, the South was overrun by a modern combined arms North Vietnamese army using tanks, artillery, and Soviet-built anti-aircraft missiles — exactly the army that my concept would have killed in the cradle.

It would have worked then, and it would work now in Yemen if we still had the Navy and Marine Corps to accomplish it.

Lacking Capabilities

For a smart opponent, hiding missile and drone launchers in civilian areas is an effective strategy when we limit ourselves to attacks by air. It gets much harder when units are on the ground and capable of hunting down the sites without killing civilians.

In the early 1970s, the US Navy was capable of landing two full Marine Corps divisions armed with tanks and the bridging capability to cross any river in Vietnam while destroying its entire capability to project power into the South.

Today, the Navy would be hard-pressed to land a single Marine Expeditionary Brigade. The Marine Corps no longer has tanks or the assault bridging and breaching capability to project and sustain military operations much beyond a narrow beachhead.

The Marines did this to themselves under the direction of a commandant who misinterpreted the emerging nature of war, and the Navy went along with it.

‘Send in the Marines’

There should be a lesson here for the Biden administration. If things continue the way they are, the only way the Houthi missile and drone threat in the Red Sea can be halted is if the Iranians can convince their surrogates to stop.

The US Navy has not reached that level of humiliation since the early days of the war on the Barbary pirates in the 19th century. The US Navy/Marine Corps power projection capability is at its lowest since December 7, 1941.

This is the second time in the last four years that we have had to hope that our enemies would get us out of a situation that we ourselves created through our own ineptitude.

When America used to get itself in difficulty overseas, presidents could say “send in the Marines.” Biden has been reduced to sending in the Iranians… or appealing to the Taliban.

Gary Anderson served as the Chief of Plans (G-5) of the Marine Corps Expeditionary Force responsible for the Indo-Pacific area.

He lectures on Alternative Analysis at the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Defense Post.

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The accident occurred when the pilot lost control of the aircraft, crashing in the streets of the town of Điện Bàn. The impact blew out the plane’s front and back approximately 200 meters (656 feet) away from the crash site.

The pilot was able to move the plane away from residential areas before it landed. He managed to eject safely out of the aircraft.

Damage to private property was reported, and one local resident sustained minor injuries from the debris, but no casualties were announced.

Urgent Support

Both the Vietnam Air Force and the local government of Điện Bàn spoke with locals affected by the accident, enacting a support plan to assist in damage recovery.

Each household received up to four million Vietnamese dong ($163) for the rehabilitation of damaged properties, ranging from houses and barns to crops.

Representatives from the air force assisted an individual that was rushed to a nearby hospital after being hit in the head by plane debris.

A Previous Incident

In 2018, a similar Su-22 jet crashed in the forests of Nghe An province, claiming the lives of its two crew members. The accident occurred amid heavy rains in the region.

The plane crashed in a hilly area 300 kilometers (180 miles) south of Hanoi 19 minutes after it took off.

The post Vietnam Air Force Su-22 Fighter Jet Crashes During Exercise appeared first on The Defense Post.

The deal is in its early stages and could go through next year as Vietnam faces tensions with China in the South China Sea, Reuters revealed, citing sources.

Its estimated size is not known. However, it could be the biggest-ever defense deal between the two Cold War adversaries.

“We have a very productive and promising security relationship with the Vietnamese and we do see interesting movement from them in some US systems, in particular anything that can help them better monitor their maritime domain, perhaps transport aircraft and some other platforms,” Reuters quoted an unnamed US official as saying.

Reliance on Russian Arms

Washington is “considering structuring special financing terms” for the deal to help cash-strapped Vietnam wean itself away from its reliance on cheaper Russian defense imports.

“Part of what we’re working on internally as the US government is being creative about how we could try to provide better financing options to Vietnam to get them things that might be really useful to them,” the official added.

The entire combat aircraft fleet of the Vietnamese Air Force is of Russian origin, including Su-22, Su-27, and Su-30 jets.

Moscow has supplied an estimated 80 percent of Vietnam’s arms exports annually since 2016, when an arms embargo was lifted from Hanoi, according to Reuters.

In comparison, the US has supplied $400 million in weapons to Vietnam in the last decade, including coast guard ships and trainer aircraft.

Eying Larger Share of Vietnamese Budget

Vietnam spends about $2 billion annually on arms imports. 

Earlier this month, Vietnam upgraded Washington to its highest diplomatic status, equivalent to China and Russia.

Hanoi understands the need to diversify its defense imports, Reuters wrote, citing US officials, adding that Washington is hopeful of increasing its defense exports to Vietnam in the long term.

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The agreement covers the delivery of LRAD-500X-RE and 1000XI communication systems. Once delivered, the solutions will be integrated into several Vietnamese naval frigates.

The LRAD is a hailing device with a specialized loudspeaker to blast high-intensity sound. It is employed for wide-scale field communications, crowd control, border security, fire and rescue services, and critical infrastructure protection.

The LRADs included in the order are manually operated, providing scalable and non-kinetic communication capabilities with clear, long-range transmission.

“Since 2019, we’ve partnered with the Vietnam MOD, delivering top-of-the-line LRAD solutions to their Navy, Coast Guard, Army, and Border Guard,” Gensys Global Business Development VP David Schnell stated.

“Given the current geo-political tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, the addition of LRADs to Vietnam’s frigates will add significant capabilities to the vessels including ship self defense and the ability to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations before they expand.”

500X-RE and 1000XI LRADs

The 500X-RE is a compact, lightweight device that is transportable and mountable for fixed installations, mid-sized land vehicles, and surface vessels.

Meanwhile, the 1000XI is designed for larger applications, such as bases, ports, and territorial water security.

It incorporates a carbon fiber-made rugged emitter equipped with amplification, an MP3 control module for sustained playback of recorded messages, and an all-weather microphone for live broadcast scenarios.

Combining the 500X-RE and 1000XI allows users to cover non-kinetic communication and force escalation at 2,000 and 3,000 meters.

Since its introduction to the market, Genasys’ family of LRADs has been integrated into 26 international navies and coast guards.

Alongside defense customers, over 100 countries and 500 cities currently use the hailing devices.

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During the mission, a Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster strategic transport aircraft conducted a strategic airlift for more than 60 Vietnamese warfighters, enabling the country to rotate its staff at the Role 2 Field hospital in Sudan.

The jet carried the personnel and associated equipment from Ho Chi Minh City to Juba, South Sudan.

Vietnamese President Võ Văn Thưởng led a departure ceremony to honor the peacekeepers participating in the operation.

According to the Australian Department of Defence, the UNMISS partnership with Sudan bolsters Australia and Vietnam’s regional collaboration to sustain global security.

“Vietnam is an important partner for Australia. We share a strategic interest in maintaining a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific,” Australian Defence Force Joint Operations Chief Lt. Gen. Greg Bilton stated.

“Our militaries work collectively and learn from each other – not only through this close peacekeeping partnership, but also through professional military education and skills exchange programs.”

‘Enduring Partnership’

The recent flight to Sudan is the fifth bilateral mission between Australia and Vietnam under UNMISS.

This year, the countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relationship.

Future collaborations are expected to “elevate” their cooperation in international peacekeeping missions.

“I am proud of the work we are doing together to strengthen our enduring partnership to support the important work of the United Nations,” Bilton expressed.

War in South Sudan

In the first quarter of the year, the conflict in South Sudan has taken more than 400 lives.

The violence began in an attack last Christmas Eve on communities in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.

Ethnic differences are the primary cause of this conflict, with similar incidents spreading across the country.

The post Australia, Vietnam Deliver UN Medical Field Support to South Sudan appeared first on The Defense Post.

The USS Ronald Reagan’s port call in Danang comes as the United States and Vietnam celebrate the 10th anniversary of their “comprehensive partnership.”

The aircraft carrier — part of the US 7th Fleet “supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific region” — arrived with two escort ships, the guided-missile cruisers USS Antietam and USS Robert Smalls, the American Embassy in Hanoi said.

US Navy officials disembarked and shook hands with their Vietnamese military counterparts in a brief ceremony on Sunday afternoon.

“More than 5,000 sailors aboard USS Ronald Reagan are eager to visit Danang and experience Vietnamese culture,” USS Ronald Reagan’s commanding officer Captain Daryle Cardone said in a statement.

#StrengtheningPartnerships with our friends in #Vietnam!

DA NANG, Vietnam (June 25, 2023) USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) arrives in Da Nang, Vietnam, for a scheduled port visit.

: MC2 Keyly Santizo and MC3 Jordan Brown pic.twitter.com/SlWjUMLVkP

— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) June 25, 2023

Vietnam and the US share increasingly close trade links, as well as concerns over China’s growing strength in the region.

A Chinese survey vessel, multiple coast guard ships, and fishing boats operated for several weeks in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, prompting a demand that they leave from Vietnam’s foreign ministry.

The boats eventually departed in early June.

China claims most of the resource-rich waterway despite competing claims from other Southeast Asian nations, including Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

“The visit gives that message that Vietnam is continuing to balance against China by improving its security relationship with the US, and with other outside powers,” Nguyen The Phuong, a Ph.D. candidate in maritime security at the University of New South Wales Canberra, told AFP.

Bilateral Ties

The US aircraft carrier’s visit follows the arrival of Indian naval ships in Danang last month, as well as a port call by Japan’s largest warship in Cam Ranh, a city on the southeastern coast, earlier this week.

Pham Thu Hang, spokesperson for Vietnam’s foreign ministry, said earlier in the week that port calls were an “ordinary friendship exchange for peace, stability, and cooperation and development in the region and the world.”

Strong bilateral ties between the US and Vietnam are key for Washington if it wants to remain the dominant power in the region, Phuong said.

“The US hopes that by sending one of their most formidable naval assets, they will have a trusted and reliable partner in Vietnam,” he said.

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a quick visit to Hanoi in April and made it clear he wanted to upgrade diplomatic ties.

This is the third visit by a US aircraft carrier to Vietnam after a historic port call by the USS Carl Vinson in 2018, the first time such a ship had arrived in the country since the end of the war.

The visit includes several cultural and community events, such as a US Navy band concert, a visit to an orphanage, and sports matches.

The USS Ronald Reagan has been based in Japan since 2015.

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The bloc’s joint exercises were initially slated for the North Natuna Sea, which Indonesia claims as its exclusive economic zone but where Beijing’s ships occasionally patrol.

When confronted by Jakarta, China has invoked the so-called nine-dash line, which demarcates an area it claims to have historic rights over but is contested by its neighbors.

China claims most of the South China Sea despite protests from Southeast Asian nations, including Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

The ASEAN’s drills will now take place in the South Natuna Sea between September 18 and 25, Indonesia’s military said in a statement, avoiding the contested waters.

ASEAN’s members have held naval drills with the United States and China before, but they have never staged military exercises as a bloc.

The decision came at a planning conference between rotating ASEAN chair Indonesia and “several ASEAN counterparts,” the military said, without disclosing which countries attended or abstained.

China’s leading regional ally Cambodia refused to confirm its attendance at the drills after they were initially announced.

The Indonesian military statement on Tuesday said the drills will be attended by military leaders from all 10 ASEAN countries.

Military chief Yudo Margono told reporters earlier this month that the drills would focus on maritime security and rescue, and would not involve combat operations.

The post ASEAN Moves Joint Drills From Disputed South China Sea Area appeared first on The Defense Post.

The negotiations began recently, The Eurasian Times reported, citing an official with BrahMos Aerospace, underlining that a deal is not imminent.

Manufacturer BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture between the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.

The report comes days after an Indian outlet reported that the two countries would likely sign a missile deal in the coming days.

Citing sources, Zee Business wrote that the deal could be inked during Vietnam Defense Minister Phan Văn Giang‘s visit to New Delhi on June 19.

According to the outlet, Hanoi could order three to five batteries for an estimated $625 million. Each battery costs around $125 million.

The BrahMos

The BrahMos missile has been operational in the Indian military since 2005. 

The medium-range ramjet missile can be launched from land, ship, and air platforms. A submarine-launched version is under development.

The 3 Mach plus missile has a range of up to 500 kilometers (310 miles). The range of the export variant is restricted to 290 kilometers (180 miles).

Longer-range and hypersonic versions of the missile are reportedly being planned.

The Philippines bought three BrahMos batteries in 2021 to bolster its anti-ship capabilities for approximately $362 million.

The post Vietnam Negotiating BrahMos Missile Purchase With India: Report appeared first on The Defense Post.

“We will hold joint military drills in the North Natuna Sea,” Indonesian military chief Yudo Margono said after a meeting of Southeast Asian defense chiefs in Bali, state news agency Antara reported.

They will take place in September involving all 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc and observer member Timor-Leste, he said.

That would include junta-ruled Myanmar, where the military has overthrown a civilian leader and overseen a bloody crackdown on dissent that has resulted in wide-ranging US and EU sanctions.

Margono said the exercises will focus on maritime security and rescue, and will not involve combat operations.

“It is about ASEAN centrality,” he said.

The bloc’s members have held naval drills with the United States before but never military exercises as a bloc on its own.

The announcement comes after Washington called on Beijing to stop “provocative” behavior in the disputed waterway after a near-collision with a Philippine vessel and a Chinese fighter pilot’s dangerous maneuver near an American surveillance aircraft.

Chinese vessels have also occasionally intruded into the Indonesian-claimed waters of North Natuna where the drills will take place, prompting protests in Jakarta.

China says most of the South China Sea is its own despite competing claims from other Southeast Asian nations including Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

Beijing’s ships have patrolled the area and when confronted have invoked China’s so-called nine-dash line — an area it claims but is contested by its neighbors — to justify its alleged historic rights to the waters.

At a summit last month, ASEAN leaders discussed “serious incidents” in the South China Sea and ongoing negotiations for a code of conduct aimed at reducing the risk of conflict there.

ASEAN has long been decried by critics as a toothless talking shop, and its charter principles of consensus and non-interference have hamstrung its ability to take action.

The bloc will hold its next leaders’ summit in Indonesian capital Jakarta in September.

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The information was announced following Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s three-day visit to Hanoi last week to discuss defense and security with Vietnamese leaders.

Prague-based defense firm Omnipol is now reportedly in talks with Vietnam over possible sales of L 410 NG cargo aircraft and dual-use radars for civilian and military airports.

The company is also discussing potential deliveries of additional L-39NG light-combat aircraft on top of the 12 the country has already ordered.

“We can confirm that we are in intensive talks with this customer however we are bound by a non-disclosure agreement and we cannot comment on any of current or potential contracts,” an Omnipol spokesperson told the outlet.

Diversifying its Arsenal

Vietnam has relied on Russia for its military weapons and equipment for many years.

Around 80 percent of its local arsenal is estimated to come from Moscow.

As Hanoi seeks to diversify its primarily Russian defense equipment, it is now tapping defense firms from other countries to bolster and diversify its supplies.

As a result, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Czech counterpart have agreed to step up defense cooperation.

The source said Prague is also willing to support weapons technology transfer and local manufacturing for Vietnam.

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