Declassified per Executive Order 13526, Section 3.3
NND Project Number: NND 63316. By: NWD Date: 2011
of magnitude within a matter of 6–8 months. To meet this new situation it will be necessary to augment the MAAG with two U.S. training commands, each capable of establishing a divisional field training area. One camp would be established in the vicinity of Kontum; the other, near Ban Me Thuot. Each of these training commands would require approximately 1600 U.S. soldiers drawn from Army or Marine Corps sources.
In addition to the regular divisional training program, a major step-up of Special Forces training is indicated to assist the G.V.N. forces counter the increased move level of Viet Cong guerrilla activity which can be expected to follow a cease fire in Laos. This will require a further MAAG augmentation of a Special Forces Group. To meet the urgency of the situation, the 1st Special Forces Group now stationed in Okinawa should be deployed at once to Nha Trang for this purpose.
In summary, the most effect of a political settlement in Laos, while complicating one important aspect of the problem of the defense of South Vietnam, will not make the over-all task impossible or even impracticable.
Specifically, force levels for the G. V. N. Army will have to be increased by two divisions; modern equipment, primarily of the communication and reconnaissance types, will have to be provided to assist the G.V.N. in setting up and operating an effective border control system; and the MAAG will have to be augmented by the addition of two U.S. divisional training commands (1,600 U.S. military personnel each) and one Special Forces Group (400 U.S. military personnel).
