MACV Special Operations
MACV Studies & Observation Group (MACV-SOG)
Arrived Vietnam: 16 January 1964 Departed Vietnam: 30 April 1972 Previous Station: Vietnam Authorized Strength: Army Staff 1966: 191 1968: 215 1971: 239 1972: 166 MACV-SOG was the joint service high command unconventional-warfare task force engaged in highly classified clandestine operations throughout Southeast Asia. It was given the title "Studies & Observation Group" as a cover. The joint staff was allegedly performing the analysis of the lessons learned to that point in the Vietnam War, but it was actually a special operations group with distinct command decision authority. In 1958 the South Vietnamese government created a secret special service directly under their president, which was redesignated the Vietnamese Special Forces Command in 1963. Special operations were conducted by this branch. The CIA supported and financed the operations. In April 1964 the government of South Vietnam created the Special Exploitation Exploitation Service to take over these operations, whereupon MACV-SOG was established to assume the CIA's job of assisting, advising, and supporting the new organization in the conduct of highly classified sabotage and psychological and special operations in North and South Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and southern China. MACV-SOG and the Special Exploitation Service were activated simultaneously. In September 1967 the South Vietnamese renamed the SES the Strategic Technical Directorate. With the drawdown of U.S. personnel and operations, MACV-SOG was deactivated on 30 April 1972 and the Strategic Technical Directorate Assistance Team 158 was activated on 1 May 1972 to take its place. The team was subsequently deactivated on 12 March 1973, and no other U.S. headquarters took its place. Originally headquartered in Cholon, it moved to Saigon in 1966. However, its air assets (Air Studies Group) were based in Nha Trang, and its nave assets (Maritime Studies Group) were based at Da Nang with its original Forward Operations Base (FOB-1). The Ground Studies Group launch sites were initially located at Hue-Phu Bai, Khe Sanh, Kham Duc, and near Kontum. The MACV-SOG training center and airborne operations group were at Long Thanh. A Psychological Studies Group was located in Saigon with antenna stations at Hue and Tay Ninh. MACV-SOG was assigned about 2,000 Americans, mostly U.S. Special Forces, and over 8,000 highly trained indigenous troops. It had its own air force (90th Special Operations Wing) comprised of a squadron of U.S. Air Force UH-1F "Green Hornet" helicopters, a squadron of U.S. Air Force C-130 aircraft, a covert C-123 aircraft squadron piloted and manned by the National Chinese, as well as the South Vietnamese 219th H-34 helicopter squadron. The U.S. Navy resources included SEALS, Vietnamese Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT), and fast patrol boats. Ground forces included army military intelligence, psychological operations, and some 70 ground RT mobile-launch teams. Later the MACV-SOG reorganized its ground strike elements into three field commands: Command and Control South, Central, and North. MACV-SOG had five primary responsibilities and the capabilities to undertake additional special missions as required. Primary responsibilities included: (1) Cross-border operations regularly conducted to disrupt the VC, Khmer Rouge, Pathet Laos, and NVA in their own territories; (2) Keeping track of all imprisoned and missing Americans and conduction raids to assist and free them as part of the Escape and Evasion mission for all captured U.S. personnel and downed airmen; (3) Training and dispatching agents into North Vietnam to run resistance movement operations; (4) "Black" psychological operations, such as establishing false NVA broadcasting stations inside North Vietnam; (5) "Gray" psychological operations as typified by the Hue-Phu Bai propaganda transmitter. MACV-SOG was also entrusted with specific tasks such as kidnapping, assassination, insertion of rigged mortar rounds into the enemy ammunition supply system (which were set to explode and destroy their crews upon use), and retrieval of sensitive documents and equipment if lost or captured through enemy action. MACV-SOG was often able to use the intelligence it gathered for its own internal purposes as well as high command special activities. Command and Control Central, MACV-SOG
Arrived Vietnam: 1 November 1967 Departed Vietnam: 30 April 1972 Location: Kontum Command and Control Central was formed by MACV-SOG in late 1967 as an expansion of its Kontum Forward Operations Base (FOB-2) under the command of a lieutenant colonel. CCC had the responsibility for classified unconventional warfare operations throughout the tri-border regions of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. CCC was organized in the same way as other MACV-SOG field commands, and its flexible composition permitted fluctuation in the number of subordinate elements depending on mission requirements. It had around 30 Spike Recon Teams (RT), Hatchet Forces, and four Search-Location-and Annihilation Mission Companies (SLAM Companies A, B, C, and D). RTs were composed of three U.S. special forces and nine indigenous personnel per team, the latter being drawn from ethnic minority groups and selected for their intense loyalty and excellent jungle-fighting qualities. RTs were capable of diverse special assignments ranging from ambush and calling airstrikes to cache destruction and reconnoiter-and-attack and were often shifted between MACV-SOG field commands as mission requirements demanded. Originally named after states, RTs later adopted names of Asian poisonous snakes and assorted designations once all the state names had been exhausted. Hatchet Forces were composed of five U.S. special forces and thirty indigenous personnel and could perform larger missions as well as reinforced RTs. The four SLAM companies were assigned to exploit promising situations. Their platoons were also capable of independent actions as needed. CCC folded in March 1972 when MACV-SOG's Task Force 2 Advisory Element was established at Kontum. This was in turn deactivated on 18 October 1972. |
Command and Control North, MACV-SOG
Arrived Vietnam: 1 November 1967 Departed Vietnam: 30 April 1972 Location: Da Nang Command and Control North was formed by MACV-SOG in late 1967 as an expansion of its forward operations bases at Da Nang (FOB-4), Khe Sanh (FOB-3), and Phu Bai (FOB-1). Other launch sites existed as locales such as Kham Duc, CCN, always the largest of the three MACV-SOG field commands was commanded by a lieutenant colonel. It was assigned to conduct classified special unconventional warfare missions into Laos and North Vietnam. CCN was organized along the lines of CCC and was composed of Spike recon teams (RT), Hatchet forces, and lettered SLA< companies. Missions into North Vietnam were initiated as early as 1 February 1964 under Operation Plan 34A. Operations into Laos commenced in September 1965 as part of Operation SHINING BRASS. renamed PRAIRIE FIRE in 1968. By this time MACV-SOG had at its disposal two battalions of American-led Nung tribesmen as reaction forces capable of performing large combat missions. CCN often operated in conjunction with the CIA-trained Meo tribesmen of Gen. Vang Pao. In 1971 the Laotian operations were given the code name PHU DUNG, and in March 1972 MACV-SOG created Task Force 1 Advisory Element to replace CCN. This task force was located at Da Nang but moved to Quan Loi on 1 April 1972 where it was deactivated 16 October 1972. Command and Control South, MACV-SOG
Arrived Vietnam: 1 November 1967 Departed Vietnam: 30 April 1972 Location: Ban Me Thuot Command and Control South was a new field command created by MACV-SOG when permission was granted to conduct cross-border missions into Cambodia. Commanded by a major, CCS was the smallest of the MACV-SOG field commands and was engaged in classified special unconventional warfare missions inside VC-dominated South Vietnam and throughout Cambodia. Its organization was similar to that of CCC. It contained Spike recon teams (RT), Hatchet forces, and four SLAM companies. Cross-border operations had been conducted into northern Cambodia since May 1967 under Project DANIEL BOONE, later known as SALEM HOUSE. In 1971 the name was changed to THOT NOT. CCS was redesignated as Task Force 3 Advisory Element, which was deactivated in January 1973. U.S. Army Vietnam Individual Training Group (UITG) Forces Armee Nationale Khmer Training Command (FANK)
Arrived Vietnam: 1 March 1971 Departed Vietnam: 30 December 1972 Location: Vietnam Authorized Strength: 423 Formed from assets from Company A, 5th Special Forces Group, the U.S. Training Group was established by the U.S. Army, Vietnam, and MACV. It included the USARV Individual Training Group composed of U.S. Special Forces instructors with the mission of training soldiers of the Republique Khmer (Cambodia). Training centers in South Vietnam were set up at Long Hai, Chi Lang, Dong Ba Thin, and Phuoc Tuy. In May 1972 this group was renamed the FANK Training Command composed of Cambodian troops. After B-36 withdrew to Long Hai, these remained to become the Cambodian Palace Guards. Soon B-36 was ordered to train more Cambodians, and in January 1971 was converted into the nucleus of the Long Hai UITG Training Center. Similar training centers were established at Chi Lang and Dong Ba Thin and each instituted an intensive 15-week program whereby a Cambodian cadre and raw Cambodian recruits were transformed into combat-ready light infantry battalions. Each center processed four to five battalions at any given time, staggered at two-week intervals in which everything from basic rifle marksmanship to combined unit tactics was taught. USARV Special Missions Advisory Group (SMAG)
Arrived Vietnam: 1 March 1971 Departed Vietnam: 19 April 1972 Location: Nha Trang Authorized Strength: 136 The USARV Special Missions Advisory Group was formed at Nha Trang from former personnel of B-53, the MACV Recondo School cadre, CCN, and CCS to train the South Vietnamese Special Missions Force teams drawn from LLDB and Ranger units. It assisted in launching these teams throughout South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The group consisted of a headquarters and operations element as well as weapons, tactics, intelligence, communications, and demolition companies. USARV Special Training Advisory Group (TAG)
Arrived Vietnam: 1 March 1971 Departed Vietnam: 19 April 1972 Location: Nha Trang Authorized Strength: 666 The USARV Training Advisory Group was redesignated from the Training and Individual Support Headquarters which had been formed in January 1971. It supported the USARV Special Missions Advisory Group and was composed of U.S. Army Special Forces and MACV advisors. Field Training Command
Arrived Vietnam: 1 December 1972 Departed Vietnam: 22 February 1973 Location: Bein Hoa Authorized Strength: 400 The Field Training Command was redesignated from the RANK Training Command. Since both Long Hai and Phuoc Tuy training facilities were turned over to the 18th ARVN Division on 7 December 1972, the command utilized the Dong Ba Thin site and mobile training teams. |