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The US strategy to win the war was based on winning through "attrition." This means decreasing numbers; numbers of enemy soldiers by killing, wounding, or capturing them. So, "Search and Destroy" missions became the main tactic used by American forces in Vietnam. It was a military operation in which Americans searched an area and killed/wounded/captured enemy soldiers and destroyed anything else which the enemy might find useful (food, medical supplies, water, shelter, etc.) but the US forces did not stay and secure the land.

Thus "attrition", or the loss of enemy troops, became the main goal of the US military.

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Review and wonder about this

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from CBS News in 1970

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Vietnam War, 1970: CBS camera rolls as platoon comes under fire

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explanation of the tactic

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from Britannica

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Examine the failure of U.S. Gen. William Westmoreland's strategy against the Viet Cong's guerrilla warfare Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

NARRATOR: In Vietnam, General Westmoreland's strategy was to fight a war of attrition. He called it "search and destroy." American forces would search out the enemy, make contact, and then, with superior numbers and firepower, destroy him.

But Vietnam was a guerrilla war--with no fronts, no distinct lines of supply and communication, no massing of enemy troops, no conclusive battles. Just finding and identifying the enemy became frustrating and deadly.

The Viet Cong were at home. They could pick the time and place to engage American forces; they could inflict heavy casualties on the Americans and then fade away into the bush, or into the civilian population.

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Examine the failure of U.S. Gen. William Westmoreland's strategy against the Viet Cong's guerrilla warfare

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NARRATOR: In Vietnam, General Westmoreland's strategy was to fight a war of attrition. He called it "search and destroy." American forces would search out the enemy, make contact, and then, with superior numbers and firepower, destroy him. But Vietnam was a guerrilla war--with no fronts, no distinct lines of supply and communication, no massing of enemy troops, no conclusive battles.

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At the end of the time allotted to you, please use the attached Google Form and answer the questions.

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Access Google Forms with a personal Google account or Google Workspace account (for business use).

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There are two principal reasons for the failure of the search and destroy strategy in Vietnam.

First, the NVA, (North Vietnamese Army), and the VC, (Viet Cong), could control the pace and intensity of the battle. They initiated approximately 80 percent of all platoon- and company-size engagements. When any one of those battles started to turn against them, they simply pulled back to safe areas. So, the US could not rely upon attrition because we could neither start nor end the battles.

Second, North Vietnam was willing to absorb large losses and still continue the war almost indefinitely. As it turned out, it was the United States that was not willing to absorb losses (attrition).