Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support
Encyclopedia
CORDS was a pacification program of the United States military in the Vietnam War
.
member Robert W. Komer
in 1966, who argued that a pacification success that was desired by President
Johnson could only be achieved by integrating three tasks. The first and most basic requirement for pacification had to be security, because the rural population had to be kept safe from the main enemy forces. If this was achieved, the insurgents
’ forces had to be weakened both by destroying their infrastructure among the population and by developing programs to win over the people’s sympathy for the South Vietnamese
government
and the U.S. forces. The third point emphasized by Komer was that the new strategy
had to be applied on a large scale in order to significantly turn around the situation.
Under an organizational perspective, these goals implicitly required that efforts were concentrated under a single command. Against initial reservations from civilian organizations like USAID, CORDS was eventually implemented under the military’s command. This also had the crucial advantage of bringing massive financial resources to the civilian pacification programs that would not have been available without the military’s involvement.
CORDS was eventually implemented in 1967 in all 44 South Vietnamese provinces, headed by a native province chief who was supported by an American province senior adviser. The advisor’s staff was divided into a civilian part which supervised area and community development, and a military part which handled security issues.
In light of the eventual outcome of the war, CORDS founder Komer attributes the eventual failure to “too little, too late”. The most probable reason for the eventual failure of the CORDS efforts, however, was the low popularity of the South Vietnamese government and its high dependence on US assistance and resources. “[T]here was nothing to indicate that the 'pacification' program had generated any real enthusiasm
for the Thieu
government”.
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Development of the Program
CORDS was designed by the National Security CouncilUnited States National Security Council
The White House National Security Council in the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the...
member Robert W. Komer
Robert Komer
Robert William "Blowtorch Bob" Komer was a key figure in the pacification effort to win South Vietnamese "hearts and minds" during the Vietnam War, heading Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support....
in 1966, who argued that a pacification success that was desired by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Johnson could only be achieved by integrating three tasks. The first and most basic requirement for pacification had to be security, because the rural population had to be kept safe from the main enemy forces. If this was achieved, the insurgents
Insurgency
An insurgency is an armed rebellion against a constituted authority when those taking part in the rebellion are not recognized as belligerents...
’ forces had to be weakened both by destroying their infrastructure among the population and by developing programs to win over the people’s sympathy for the South Vietnamese
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
and the U.S. forces. The third point emphasized by Komer was that the new strategy
Strategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
had to be applied on a large scale in order to significantly turn around the situation.
Under an organizational perspective, these goals implicitly required that efforts were concentrated under a single command. Against initial reservations from civilian organizations like USAID, CORDS was eventually implemented under the military’s command. This also had the crucial advantage of bringing massive financial resources to the civilian pacification programs that would not have been available without the military’s involvement.
CORDS was eventually implemented in 1967 in all 44 South Vietnamese provinces, headed by a native province chief who was supported by an American province senior adviser. The advisor’s staff was divided into a civilian part which supervised area and community development, and a military part which handled security issues.
Evaluation of the Program
Regarding the effectiveness of the program in carrying out "pacification" efforts; the insurgents’ numbers had indeed declined. Extant accounts show that it was increasingly difficult for the Viet Cong to gain support from the rural populationIn light of the eventual outcome of the war, CORDS founder Komer attributes the eventual failure to “too little, too late”. The most probable reason for the eventual failure of the CORDS efforts, however, was the low popularity of the South Vietnamese government and its high dependence on US assistance and resources. “[T]here was nothing to indicate that the 'pacification' program had generated any real enthusiasm
Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm originally meant inspiration or possession by a divine afflatus or by the presence of a god. Johnson's Dictionary, the first comprehensive dictionary of the English language, defines enthusiasm as "a vain belief of private revelation; a vain confidence of divine favour or...
for the Thieu
Thieu
Thieu is a village in the Belgian province of Hainaut, and a part of the municipality Le Rœulx....
government”.