The US Army will continue to be part of multinational operations in the future. The Vietnam War was the US Army's first test in conducting conventional and counterinsurgency operations on a grand scale post-World War II. In 1964, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) began to integrate Free World Forces (FWF) into a US lead multinational forces to conduct combat operations against the North Vietnamese Forces. The Republic of Korea (ROK) Army was largest and most critical of the FWF contributing over 324,000 troops from 1964 to 1973, enabling MACV to transition to offensive operations. This study examines the successes and challenges of MACV integrating the ROK army early in the Vietnam War.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)