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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/resolver/1840.16/1760

Title: The Other Side of the Story: Vietnam Escalation and Global Army Readiness, 1965-1968
Authors: Dempsey, Christopher Martin
Advisors: Richard Kohn, Committee Member
Joseph Caddell, Committee Member
Nancy Mitchell, Committee Chair
Keywords: army
readiness
vietnam
Issue Date: 22-Apr-2009
Degree: MA
Discipline: History
Abstract: From 1965-1968, the United States Army bore the brunt of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s military escalation of the Vietnam War, while attempting to maintain its Cold War deterrent responsibilities around the globe. While scholars have exhaustively researched the varying aspects of the former, fewer have studied the implications of these decisions on the latter. This paper examines the devastating effects of escalation in Southeast Asia on the army’s ability to remain prepared and ready to fight another war should one arise anywhere else in the world. Specifically, it traces the downward trend of army readiness as a result of Johnson’s decision not to call up the reserves until 1968, paired with the rapid expansion of the army from 1 million soldiers in 1965 to 1.5 million in 1968.
URI: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/resolver/1840.16/1760
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