The infamous Vietnam war cast serious doubt on Westmoreland’s claims of progress in the war effort. Even after the war, Westmoreland fought off criticisms of his conduct of the war in Vietnam. The United States began developing ground forces to Vietnam under Westmoreland who had decided to conduct a war based on Attrition. His strategy of attrition aimed to inflict heavy losses on North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces using search and destroy operations tactics and superior U.S. firepower. Westmoreland largely ignored other key responsibilities most importantly in dealing with their counterparts in the South Vietnam’s Armed Forces. His way of war did nothing to affect the situation in South Vietnam's villages and remote areas where the enemy's …show more content…
He underestimated the enemies’ untiring perseverance to win the war. The enemy did not show any breaking point, no matter how many losses they incurred in every battle, they kept on filling up replacements to make up losses. Westmoreland seemed to be on a treadmill, fighting an unending war. On the other side, Westmoreland asked for more troops but got only a fraction of that figure. At the time he stated openly that he was pleased with the approval for his request but in reality, he was very …show more content…
As the war continued, the military actions of the Viet Cong decreased as the role and engagement of the NVA grew. U.S. and South Vietnamese forces relied on air superiority and overwhelming firepower to conduct search and destroy operations, involving ground forces, artillery, and airstrikes. In the course of the war, the U.S. conducted a large-scale strategic all-out-war and attack against North Vietnam.
The North Vietnamese government and the Viet Cong were fighting to reunite Vietnam. They viewed the conflict as a colonial war and a continuation of the First Indochina War against forces from France and later on the United States. The Americans government viewed its involvement in the war as a way to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam. This was part of their broader global policy, ultimately aiming to stop the spread of communism in the