Assessing the Impact of the Deployed, Essay Example

Generally, deploying individually rather than by unit indicates a lack of foresight and planning concerning war. The events of the Vietnam War demonstrated that this is not an effective strategy, as it contributed to a decrease in troop morale. A major driving factor that initiated a feeling of resentment among American soldiers was due to the implementation of the draft in 1969 under the Selective Service System (Fienberg, 1971). Therefore, many soldiers were brought to Vietnam against their will. This differs significantly from those that had joined the Army voluntarily because these individuals were in support of American action abroad. Ultimately, the impact of deploying troops depends primarily on the reasons the troops were sent to war in the first place. Troops that consisted primarily of volunteers were more likely to be positive about their role in bringing Democracy to Asia, while troops that were conscripted for service through the draft system were more likely to protest the will of their leadership (Fisher, 1969). In terms of the efficacy and purpose of the Vietnam War, the American troops had little chance for success, as a majority of the military personnel was recruited forcibly rather than voluntarily.

During the Vietnam War, American leadership deployed individually with the thought that incremental growth to the forces overseas would ensure an American victory. However, it is clear that this vision did not become a reality. Furthermore, individual deployment was a response to America’s general lack of support for the war. Since American leaders felt that there was a need for troops overseas but a small number of volunteer soldiers at home, there was a need to require soldiers to continually be sent to the war effort.

In the context of the Vietnam War, “saving face” refers to getting out of a bad situation with a bad result on the part of diplomats. When President Nixon reached the office, it was relatively clear that the war would not be won (Guan, 2003). Therefore, rather than focusing his efforts on winning, he switched to efforts to ensure both that his leadership would look more effective than it was and that he was making the correct decisions in this case. Since President Nixon did not want to make America look weak in front of the world’s other nations, he decided that he would be unable to withdraw the troops from Vietnam. Thus, he commanded that the troops remain abroad until they were able to achieve several victories to make it seem like they were winning. Once this was accomplished, he planned to withdraw the troops in a manner that made it seem like the withdrawal was by choice rather than by force.

Unfortunately, President Nixon’s attempt to “save face” backfired and it was clear that the United States was unable to achieve a victory in Vietnam. In general, it is beneficial to avoid using such strategies. While they can provide benefit as a political move in some situations, leaving American troops in Vietnam was not the popular choice among citizens. President Nixon’s decision to allow the troops to remain in the country for more time was unpopular, which damaged the reputation of both him as a politician and the reputation of the United States as a whole (Ambrose, 1991). Therefore, it is a better political move to reflect public opinion and to support the more moral decision.

References

Ambrose SE. (1991). Nixon: Ruin and Recovery 1973–1990. New York: Simon & Schuster

Fienberg SE. (1971). Randomization and Social Affairs: The 1970 Draft Lottery. Science, 171 (3968): 255–261.

Fisher AC. (1969). The Cost of the Draft and the Cost of Ending the Draft. American Economic  Review, 59(3).

Guan AC. (2003). Ending the Vietnam War: The Vietnamese Communists’ Perspective. Florence, KY: RoutledgeCurzon.