
Melvin Laird became President Richard Nixon’s secretary of defense in January 1969. His challenging agenda included two goals: withdrawing the U.S. military from Vietnam and reshaping U.S. the armed forces for the future. He worked toward ending the inequitable draft system and replacing it with an all-volunteer force of regulars supported by National Guard and Reserve components. Laird’s tenure was also marked by battles with Congress and the administration over the defense budget and the antiballistic military system as well as efforts to strengthen alliances with NATO, East Asian allies, and Israel.
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Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1 Change Comes to the Pentagon 1
A Reluctant and Independent Secretary 5
A New Team 9
Systems Analysis and International Security Affairs 15
Acquisition Reform 20
Blue Ribbon Defense Panel 21
Chapter 2 Organizing National Security in a New Administration 31
Nixonian Approach 31
An EC–121 Goes Down 37
Defense Program Review Committee 45
Trying to Fix Intelligence 51
Private Channels 57
Chapter 3 How Much for Defense: The FY 1970 Budget 61
Laird’s Inheritance 61
Economic and Political Realities 63
Pay Reform 67
DoD Budget Review 69
Differences with the White House 71
More Defense Cuts 76
Congress Enters the Fray 80
Chapter 4 The Predicament of Vietnam 89
The Nixon Administration’s Opening Moves 93
Laird Goes to Vietnam 98
Vietnamization 103
The Midway Conference and Troop Withdrawals 109
Improvement and Modernization Plans 115
Vietnamization Triumphant 117
The Military Option: Duck Hook 119
Chapter 5 The Battle over Troop Withdrawals 125
Cost and Pace of Withdrawals 127
The Fourth Tranche 131
Chapter 6 Taking the Fight into Cambodia 143
Pursuing Military Option 144
Striking the Sanctuaries 152
Chapter 7 The War in Laos 165
The Administration Takes on Laos 166
Origin of Lam Son 719 175
Operation Lam Son 719 183
Chapter 8 Preparing South Vietnam to Stand Alone 199
Troop Withdrawals: How Fast? 199
A Growing South Vietnamese Force, 1970–1971 203
Improvement and Modernization 205
Planning for the Enemy Threat 208
North Vietnam Prepares for an Offensive 213
Chapter 9 A Time of Trial: The Easter Offensive and Vietnamization 221
The Invasion Begins 223
Command and Leadership 225
The Offensive Intensifies 229
Augmenting U.S. Power 234
Striking North Vietnam 239
Chapter 10 Looking Beyond Vietnam: The FY 1971 Budget 251
A New Budget Process 251
Major Program Memoranda 253
NSSM 3: Rethinking the Budget and National Strategy 257
The White House and DoD Hammer Out a Budget 259
Laird Testifies 267
House Hearings 269
Congress Decides 273
Chapter 11 A Turning Point: The FY 1972 Budget 279
Fiscal Guidance 280
Battling the Defense Program Review Committee 282
Laird Confronts Congress 291
Congress Decides 300
Chapter 12 The Enduring Commitment to NATO 305
Deep-Seated Troubles 306
Conventional Forces: A Credible Deterrent? 310
Nuclear Weapons 311
Developing NATO Policy 313
Budget Constraints 315
The Battle over U.S. Forces in NATO 321
Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions 324
Chapter 13 Change in East Asia 329
Policy Review 330
An Assertive Japan 331
The Odyssey of Chemical Weapons 336
The Reversion Agreement 343
South Korea 347
NSSM 27: Shaping a New Policy 349
Reopening the Door to China 355
Chapter 14 The All-Volunteer Force 363
Draft Reform and Vietnam 364
A New Administration Acts 366
Project Volunteer 367
Seeking Fairness: The Draft Lottery 371
Toward Consensus 374
Executing the Decision 382
Chapter 15 Strategic Defense: ABM and SALT 395
Evolution of Ballistic Missile Defense 396
Nixon Reviews the ABM 397
Battle for the ABM 403
Strategic Arms Limitations 408
Battle for Phase II 413
Toward an Arms Agreement 418
Laird to the Fore 420
Chapter 16 Realistic Deterrence? The FY 1973 Budget 433
Round One: Strategic Guidance 434
Fiscal Guidance 438
White House Review 440
President’s Budget Request 448
Congressional Review 451
Gains and Losses 458
Chapter 17 Military Assistance 463
Congressional Critics 464
Battle over the FY 1971 MAP 468
Congress Rebels 472
The Case of Israel 477
The Crisis Deepens 483
Impasse 487
Chapter 18 Looking toward the Future: The FY 1974 Budget 493
Debate over Guidance 494
Summer Stalemate 501
President’s Budget 509
Chapter 19 Fixing the Fraying Force 515
Who Fights in Vietnam 517
Drug Abuse 518
Racial Discord 524
New Opportunities for Women 536
Chapter 20 Laird’s Legacy 543
Abbreviations
Notes
Note on Sources and Selected Bibliography
Index
Charts and Maps
Defense Department, 1968 4
Blue Ribbon Defense Panel Proposal
for DoD Reorganization 25
VC Base Areas 154
Lam Son 719 185
Easter Offensive 222
Tables
1. Johnson’s DoD Budget Proposal, FY 1970
2. Personnel Strengths for End of FY 1970
3. New Obligational Authority (NOA), FY 1970
4. Outlays, FY 1970
5. Menu Sorties
6. South Vietnamese Force Structure
7. USAF Aircraft in Southeast Asia, 1972
8. U.S. Navy Forces in Southeast Asia, 1972
9. NSSM 3 Alternative Strategies
10. DoD Budget Estimate, FY 1971
11. Estimated Active-Duty Military Personnel for End of FY 1971
12. Ready and Standby Reserves
13. Defense Appropriations FY, 1971 (NOA)
14. New Obligational Authority, FY 1972
15. Requested Outlays by Program, FY 1972
16. Budget Request, FY 1972
17. General Purpose Forces
18. Congressional Action (NOA) on Defense Budget
19. Military Personnel
20. Appropriations for Weapon Systems, FY 1972
21. President’s DoD Budget Request, FY 1973
22. Budget NOA Request with Modifications Compared with Appropriations (July–October 1972)
23. Military Strength and Personnel Appropriations, FY 1973
24. Executive Branch MAP and FMS Requests, FYs 1969–1973
25. Total Obligational Authority, FY 1974
26. Outlays, FY 1974
27. Active Military Personnel and Forces, FYs 1973–1974
This book may appeal to the U.S. Department of Defense personnel, other government officials, and policymakers in the national security community, and members of Congress. Additionally, historians, Vietnam War veterans, and academia may be interested in this primary source work.
Product Details
- Hunt, Richard A.
- Secretaries of Defense Historical Series
- Laird, Melvin
- Foundation of the Post Vietnam Military
- Military History
- Defense Department
- Political Science
- United States, Military Policy, History, 20th Century