MIKE Force
Encyclopedia
The Mobile Strike Force Command, or MIKE Force, was a key component of United States Army
Special Forces
in the Vietnam War
. They served with indigenous soldiers selected and trained through the Civilian Irregular Defense Group
(CIDG) and were led by American SF and Australian SAS. MIKE Force was a force multiplier, operating what is today called a Foreign Internal Defense
mission.
MIKE Force was composed of the persecuted Degar
, Bahnar
, Hmong
, Nung
, Jarai
, Khmer Krom
, and Montagnards. MIKE Force was active under MACV, Army Special Forces, from 1964 to 1970 and under ARVN until 1974. MIKE Force waged special warfare against the Viet Minh
, NLF
(Viet Cong), and PAVN
(North Vietnamese Army) oppressors in various detachments, volunteering in support of MIKE Force missions.
MIKE Force's mission was to act as a country-wide quick reaction force
for securing, reinforcing, and recapturing CIDG A Camps, as well as to conduct special reconnaissance
patrols. Search and rescue
and search and destroy
missions were also assigned. The conventional unit alternative to Special Forces detachments like MIKE was Tiger Force
, which was primarily tasked with counter-guerrilla warfare against enemies from behind their lines that emphasized body-count rather than force multiplication.
MIKE Force had a critical role in the search and rescue
of downed American pilots because they were mobile and often in close proximity to the DMZ. MIKE Force also designated drop zones, landing zones, called in air strikes on high value targets, and collected intelligence during recons, much like the LRRPs.
In 1970 MIKE Force was disbanded after Vietnamization ruined the loyalty of the indigenous personnel when SF were ordered to abandon them to the command of the South Vietnamese. While many Montagnards were Christian, they were still looked down upon by the Vietnamese and referred to as savages. In 1974 what indigenous personnel of the MIKE Forces remained in Vietnam were, along with their tribes of origin, systematically hunted down and murdered by the North Vietnamese when they took over the South. Some Hmong, Nung, Montagnard, and other groups still escape and evade persecution in Vietnam while struggling for independence, much like the people of Burma who were left by Detachment 101
when, like Det. 101, MACV was ordered home by the President.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Special Forces
United States Army Special Forces
The United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and...
in the Vietnam War
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...
. They served with indigenous soldiers selected and trained through the Civilian Irregular Defense Group
Civilian Irregular Defense Group
Civilian Irregular Defense Group program was a program developed by the U.S. government in the Vietnam War to develop South Vietnamese irregular military units from minority populations.-Purpose:...
(CIDG) and were led by American SF and Australian SAS. MIKE Force was a force multiplier, operating what is today called a Foreign Internal Defense
Foreign internal defense
Foreign internal defense is a term used by a number of Western militaries, including the United States, France and the United Kingdom, to describe an approach to combating actual or threatened insurgency in a foreign state called the Host Nation . The term counter-insurgency is more commonly used...
mission.
MIKE Force was composed of the persecuted Degar
Degar
The Degar are the indigenous peoples of the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The term Montagnard means "mountain people" in French and is a carryover from the French colonial period in Vietnam. In Vietnamese, they are known by the term thượng - this term can also be applied to other minority ethnic...
, Bahnar
Bahnar people
The Bahnar are an ethnic group of Vietnam living primarily in the Central Highland provinces of Gia Lai and Kon Tum, as well as the coastal provinces of Bình Định and Phú Yên...
, Hmong
Hmong people
The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
, Nung
Nung people
The Nùng are an ethnic minority in Vietnam. In China, the Nùng, together with the Tày, are classified as Zhuang people.-Description:The population of the Nùng is estimated to be more than 700,000...
, Jarai
Jarai
The Jarai is an ethnic group based primarily in Vietnam's Central Highlands. The Jarai language is a member of the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family...
, Khmer Krom
Khmer people
Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.8 million people in the country. They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia...
, and Montagnards. MIKE Force was active under MACV, Army Special Forces, from 1964 to 1970 and under ARVN until 1974. MIKE Force waged special warfare against the Viet Minh
Viet Minh
Việt Minh was a national independence coalition formed at Pac Bo on May 19, 1941. The Việt Minh initially formed to seek independence for Vietnam from the French Empire. When the Japanese occupation began, the Việt Minh opposed Japan with support from the United States and the Republic of China...
, NLF
National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam
The Vietcong , or National Liberation Front , was a political organization and army in South Vietnam and Cambodia that fought the United States and South Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War . It had both guerrilla and regular army units, as well as a network of cadres who organized...
(Viet Cong), and PAVN
Vietnam People's Army
The Vietnam People's Army is the armed forces of Vietnam. The VPA includes: the Vietnamese People's Ground Forces , the Vietnam People's Navy , the Vietnam People's Air Force, and the Vietnam Marine Police.During the French Indochina War , the VPA was often referred to as the Việt...
(North Vietnamese Army) oppressors in various detachments, volunteering in support of MIKE Force missions.
MIKE Force's mission was to act as a country-wide quick reaction force
Quick reaction force
Quick Reaction Force or is a military unit, generally platoon-sized in the United States Marine Corps, that is capable of rapid response to developing situations. They are to have equipment ready, to respond to any type of emergency, typically within ten minutes or less, although this is based on...
for securing, reinforcing, and recapturing CIDG A Camps, as well as to conduct special reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
patrols. Search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
and search and destroy
Search and destroy
Search and Destroy, Seek and Destroy, or even simply S&D, refers to a military strategy that became a notorious component of the Vietnam War. The idea was to insert ground forces into hostile territory, search out the enemy, destroy them, and withdraw immediately afterward...
missions were also assigned. The conventional unit alternative to Special Forces detachments like MIKE was Tiger Force
Tiger Force
Tiger Force was a task force of the United States Army, 1st Battalion , 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade , 101st Airborne Division, which fought in the Vietnam War....
, which was primarily tasked with counter-guerrilla warfare against enemies from behind their lines that emphasized body-count rather than force multiplication.
MIKE Force had a critical role in the search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
of downed American pilots because they were mobile and often in close proximity to the DMZ. MIKE Force also designated drop zones, landing zones, called in air strikes on high value targets, and collected intelligence during recons, much like the LRRPs.
In 1970 MIKE Force was disbanded after Vietnamization ruined the loyalty of the indigenous personnel when SF were ordered to abandon them to the command of the South Vietnamese. While many Montagnards were Christian, they were still looked down upon by the Vietnamese and referred to as savages. In 1974 what indigenous personnel of the MIKE Forces remained in Vietnam were, along with their tribes of origin, systematically hunted down and murdered by the North Vietnamese when they took over the South. Some Hmong, Nung, Montagnard, and other groups still escape and evade persecution in Vietnam while struggling for independence, much like the people of Burma who were left by Detachment 101
OSS Detachment 101
Detachment 101 of the Office of Strategic Services operated in the China Burma India Theater of World War II. On January 17, 1946, it was awarded a Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation by Dwight Eisenhower, who wrote, "The courage and fighting spirit displayed by its officers and men in...
when, like Det. 101, MACV was ordered home by the President.
See also
- MontagnardMontagnardThe French term Montagnard, meaning "People from the mountain" refers to an indigenous people group generally from the Central Highlands of Vietnam. It includes individuals from multiple tribal groups, including the Bahnar, Jarai, Koho, Mnong and E De peoples...
- Kit Carson ScoutsKit Carson ScoutsThe Kit Carson Scouts belonged to a special program initially created by the U.S...
- Vietnamese RangersVietnamese RangersThe Vietnamese Rangers, properly known in Vietnamese as the Biệt Ðộng Quân, more commonly known as the ARVN Rangers, were the Rangers of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. Trained and assisted by American Special Forces and Ranger advisers, the Vietnamese Rangers infiltrated beyond enemy lines in...
- CIDGCIDGCIDG can refer to:*CIDG-FM, a new Canadian radio station*Civilian Irregular Defense Group, an irregular military unit used during the Vietnam War...
- Detachment 101
- Project DELTAProject DELTAProject DELTA was one of three Greek letter special forces reconnaissance projects formed by the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, MACV during the Vietnam War to collect operational intelligence in remote areas of South Vietnam....
- Project GAMMAProject GAMMAProject GAMMA was the name given to Detachment B-57, Company E , 5th Special Forces Group , 1st Special Forces, U. S. Army in Vietnam from 1966 to 1970. It was responsible for covert intelligence collection operations in Cambodia....
- LRRPs
- Operation PhoenixOperation Phoenix-Military-related:* Phoenix Program, CIA military, intelligence, and internal security program in the Vietnam War* Vela Incident, suspected 1979 Israeli-South African nuclear test allegedly codenamed "Operation Phenix"...
- MACV
- Tiger ForceTiger ForceTiger Force was a task force of the United States Army, 1st Battalion , 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade , 101st Airborne Division, which fought in the Vietnam War....