Prologue
I am a Vietnam-era Vet. I served in the US Air Force and spent two TDYs (total of about 180 days) in SE Asia - one in Japan (Okinawa/Kadena) and one in Thailand (U-Tapao). The role of the Air Force in Thailand is well documented and known - F-4s, various RFs, B-52s, and KC-135s (my plane). What has been under-reported is the role of the other military branches, Army, Navy, Marines. This post tries to correct that oversight, at least as regards the Army.
What is known is that American military manpower in Thailand peaked in the late 1960s at about 47,000 personnel. From the build-up of US forces in the Vietnam theater of war (from 1964), the USAF personnel averaged 77% of that part of the force assigned to Thailand (over 3 of every 4 persons).
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| Figure 1: The American military presence in Southeast Asia peaked in 1968. “Vietnamization” of the war began the next year, with the first US troop withdrawals in July 1969. All told, some 3.4 million troops from all branches of the armed services spent time on duty in Southeast Asia. The “All Other” totals include Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. |
From 1961 to 1975, the USAF deployed aircraft throughout Thailand, and these planes were responsible for the majority of reconnaissance and air strikes over North Vietnam. The first base of operations for American forces was at Thakli Royal Thai Air Force Base, which is located approximately 144 miles northwest of Bangkok, near Korat. USAF fighter-bombers first arrived in late 1961. The base predated the arrival of American ground forces in Vietnam. Other key bases for USAF operations within Thailand eventually included Korat, Ubon, U-Tapao, Don Mueang (Bangkok), Udorn and NKP (Nakorn Phanom).
The US Army in Thailand
A 1969 map titled U.S. Installations and Facilities in Thailand was prepared by the 652nd Topographic Engineer Battalion (published by USARPAC (United States Army Pacific) on November 1, 1969). It depicted the broad reach of all American forces in Thailand. The mapped data concerning American forces represents:
- US Army installations and facilities that numbered 45;
- US Navy and Coast Guard installations that numbered 18;
- US Air Force installations that numbered 28; and
- “Joint and Others” that numbered 11.
The latter was composed of US government civilian personnel, such as ambassadorial staff, intelligence analysts, contractors, and others. Thus, US Army facilities represented over 44% of coverage in Thailand, but with much lower manpower as seen above in Figure 1. They were more specialized units such as RR (Radio Research Unit), RRSOU (Radio Research Special Operations Unit), Signal Intelligence Units, Communication Units, Integrated Wide-band Communications System (IWCS) Units, USOM (United States Operations Mission). US Army Engineer and Transportation units at Sattihip, the main seaport, and local in-country hubs, where they offloaded the bombs, rockets, ammunition (and all other supplies) and trucked it to nearby U-Tapao, and other USAF bases. The US Army also had facilities for R&R at Pattaya, and various billets, officers and NCO clubs in Thailand. Also, some US Army Special Forces units for training Thai Army volunteers who served in Vietnam existed.
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| Figure 3: List of US Army Facilities (45) from the Map in Figure 2 |
The US government viewed Thailand as a logical staging area for American forces because of its proximity to North and South Vietnam. Thailand also was buffered from the conflict zone by Laos and Cambodia, thereby making it safer for American personnel. With those factors in mind, the two governments reached a so-called "gentleman’s agreement" that permitted American forces to use Thai bases or construct new ones.
The following is a list of US Army “camps” (and a summary of the function - if known) from the 1969 map (Figure 3):
- Camp Carrow - in Trang, 46th Special Forces Company assisted Thai forces in resisting Communist guerrilla activity in the south on the Malay Peninsula.
- Camp Charn Sinthope - located near Phanom Sarakham, southeast of Bangkok, serving as a staging ground for the 519th Transportation Battalion and related support operations
- Camp Friendship - Army base in Korat, Thailand, that served as a logistical hub, housing the Headquarters, United States Army Support, Thailand (USARSUPTHAI) and crucial for supporting US operations in the region,
- Camp Kanchanaburi
- Camp Khon Kaen - serving as a staging ground for the 519th Transportation Battalion and related support operations. There was also a "bare" (Marine) base near Nam Phong.
- Camp Lightning - near Sattahip (the main port of entry) for military supplies and transportation
- Camp Nam Phung - aka Camp 'Honky' or 'Hunky') in Phu Phan area near Sakon Nakhon, used by Special Forces
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| Figure 4: Nam Pung Lake south of Sakon Nakon US engineers constructed a base camp for Special Forces troops. The 70 man camp is shown in the foreground |
- Camp Narai - Special Forces Company (Airborne) 1st. Special Forces
- Camp Nong Takdo - Pak Chang, Thailand, in Korat Province, a key training and operational base for US Special Forces, particularly the 46th Special Forces group
- Camp Pawai - sited in Lopburi, Thailand, used by 46th. Special Forces Company (Airborne) 1966--1971
- Camp Ramasun - at Udon Thani, a radio listening station staffed for over a decade by National Security Agency (NSA), United States Army, and United States Air Force (USAF) personnel
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| Figure 5: Camp Ramasun, near Udon Thani, 1973 by the 6924th Security Squadron, |
- Camp Ruan Chit Chai - base for the 44th Engineering Group operations
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| Figure 6: Camp Ruam Chit Chai near Sakhon Nakhon, Thailand, the headquarters of the 44th Engr Gp |
- Camp Vayama - (for Sattahip Port) transportation
In addition to the above camps other camps were active later in the war (1970s) including:
- Camp Buri Ram
- Camp Essayons - located midway between Pak Chong and about 30 miles South of Korat South of Pak Thong Chai city. Primarily used in support of the construction of the Friendship Highway, a major roadway between Bangkok and Nong Khai on the Thai-Lao border near Vientiane, Laos.
- Camp Ku Su Mon - at Sattahip
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| Figure 7: Sattahip Deep Water Port in 1968. The project cost $40 million and became the second major port facility in Thailand handling 98 percent of all military cargo arriving in country, the Ko Mu Breakwater under construction. |
- Camp Surin
- Camp Ratchaburi
- Camp Roi Et - assisted Thai forces in resisting Communist guerrilla activity near the Laos border
- Camp Samae San - in Sattahip
- Camp Srimahapoe
Summary of Some of the Army Missions in Thailand
The United States Army Support, Thailand was created in October 1966 and arrived at Camp Friendship, in Korat. The missions of USARSUPTHAI were:
(1) Tactical: Provide the U. S. Army nucleus for a unilateral, bilateral or combined tactical headquarters to conduct ground combat operations in Thailand;(2) Training: Conduct continuing OJT (on-the-job training) of assigned Army units;(3) Planning: Conduct U. S. Army planning to support joint operational plans for current operations and contingency US unilateral, bilateral and SEATO plans;(4) Management: Exercise command management supervision of US Army construction programs, logistic operations, real property, facilities and project stocks; and(5) Logistical and Administrative: Provide
(a) logistical support to US Air Force operations in North Vietnam and Laos and(b) US Army and joint service support as directed.
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| Figure 8: Camp Friendship, 1963 |
On January 1, 1967 USARSUPTHAI officially assumed command and/or operational control of all US Army units in Thailand.
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| Figure 9: The US Army Support Command Thailand patch, a shoulder sleeve insignia worn by soldiers who served with/under the US Army Support Command in Thailand |
On 1 July 1974, USARSUPTHAI was inactivated at Camp Samae San, Sattahip.
Transportation
As early as 1961, the US Command in Control Pacific (CINCPAC) rotated US Air Force units out of the Philippine Islands to Royal Air Force bases in Thailand. They received logistical support from their home bases. However, as the war in Vietnam increased, the need to improve logistical infrastructure in Thailand became evident. With Bangkok as the primary commercial port in Thailand, different contingency plans identified the need for a second ground line of communication to northeastern Thailand (where the bulk of the US presence was envisioned). In 1962, the CINCPAC deployed troops and USAF units to Udorn Air Base in the Northeast, and in May, established the Military Assistance Command, Thailand to manage US forces in country.
As more US Air Force units deployed to air bases in Thailand, it placed an increasing demand on the limited port facilities in country for logistical support. So, on March 19, 1963, the US and Thailand governments signed the Specific Logistics Action, Thailand Agreement for the completion of a number of projects funded under the Military Assistance Program (MAP). In June 1966, MAP completed the first pier for the Royal Thai Navy at the Sattahip Naval Facility in the Gulf of Thailand located 76 nautical miles southeast of Bangkok. This pier could berth one vessel. The Army engineers also established a Delong Pier south of the facility in August 1966, which could berth two ships simultaneously. To complete the new line of communication, Thailand needed a all-weather road connecting it to the main highway.
The completion of the new pier and Delong Pier came as the US Army’s involvement in the Vietnam War increased from an advisory role to the deployment of ground combat units during the summer of 1965. The second increment of troops began during the summer of 1966. That year the Port of Sattahip required a US Army transportation battalion to offload military cargo and conduct port clearance. Enter the 519th Transportation Battalion (Motor Transport), Which completed its deployment to Sattahip, Thailand on 17 December 1966. The 519th Transportation Battalion moved north to Camp Charn Sinthope near Phanom Sarakham, southeast of Bangkok. In Thailand it fell under the control of the recently activated US Army Support Command, Thailand located at Camp Friendship. In Thailand the 519th Transportation Battalion provided operational control of the following companies:
- Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment
- 53rd Transportation Company (Medium Truck Cargo)
- 260th Transportation Company (Petroleum)
- 291st Transportation Company (Medium Truck Cargo)
- 313th Transportation Company (Reefer)
- 505th Transportation Company (Medium Truck Cargo)
- 569th Transportation Company (Medium Truck Cargo)
- 33rd Transportation Platoon (Reefer)
- 254th Transportation Detachment (Trailer Transfer Point Operating)
In April 1966, construction began on a military pier. The project cost $40 million and was completed in 1968. The project provided berthing for four ships with 36-foot draft. This included cruiser-size vessels, roll-on/roll-off vessels, container vessels and auxiliary naval craft. The port dedication ceremony of the Sattahip Deep-Water Port Facility took place on May 30, 1968.
The line of communication originated at the Port of Sattahip and covered a network of 1,070 miles. The battalion established trailer transfer points (TTP) at three locations along the line of communication with the southernmost at Sattahip (Vayama and Samae San). Two-lane paved roads stretched from Sattahip to Camp Friendship at Royal Thai Air Force Bases in Korat and Takhli in the north. The battalion headquarters was stationed at Camp Friendship along with the 291st Medium Truck and 313th Reefer Companies and the 33rd Reefer Platoon, which also doubled as a trailer transfer point. The roads continued north to Camp Khon Kaen, Udorn, Sakorn Nakhon, NKP and Ubon. Udorn, NKP and Ubon were Royal Thai Air Force Bases. Camp Khon Kaen ran the northernmost trailer transfer point with a platoon from the 291st and then the 569th Medium Truck Company.
Though-out its time in Thailand, the battalion headquarters were also located at Camp Friendship and then at Camp Samae San in Sattahip.
Special Operations
The 46th Company was deployed to assist the Thai military in resisting Communist guerrilla activity along the Laotian border, among the hill tribes in the north, and in the south on the Malay Peninsula.
In October of 1966 the units deployed to Thailand where a Special Forces Operating Base was established at Camp Pawai, Lopburi, Thailand. On April 15, 1967 the unit was redesignated 46th Special Forces Company (Airborne), 1st Special Forces. In 1968 the company was headquartered southeast of Lopburi at Camp Pawai. In 1971 the company relocated to the Royal Thai Army Special Warfare Center at Fort Narai, Lopburi.
The 46th Company conducted specialized Special Forces training at the Royal Thai Army (RTA) Special Warfare Center. Some members of 46th Company were based at NKP) and assisted Recon Teams from Command & Control North based in Danang, Vietnam from 5th SFG(A) who were running missions into Laos.
Many different Thai military and police units were trained by the 46th.Some of the units trained were the Thai Special Forces cadre and the Border Patrol Police. In addition, in the early 1970s the 46th trained units of the Cambodia military. The Thai Ranger School was founded by 46th Company.
Signal, Intelligence & Communication Operations
US Army Signal troops were providing a small US advisory group in Vietnam with communications that linked into the Army's worldwide network. By the time the US Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, was established, high-frequency radio circuits operated in Vietnam were providing communications from Saigon to San Miguel in the Philippines, to Fort Bucknera large Army logistics base in Okinawa to Bang Pla near Bangkok in Thailand.
In January 1962 the USAF awarded a contract to furnish and install BACK PORCH - a system capable of transmitting and receiving up to seventy-two voice channels simultaneously. The links of the system would extend from the Army's Saigon station at Phu Lam to Nha Trang; from Nha Trang to Qui Nhon; from Qui Nhon to DA Nang in the north; from Nha Trang to Pleiku in the Central Highlands; and west from Pleiku to a terminal in Ubon, Thailand. It was operated by the 39th Signal Battalion which deployed elements of the 362nd Signal Company to operate six terminals in Thailand. These six terminals were put into operation in January 1963 to furnish long-lines support to the joint US Military Advisory Group, Thailand; they were transferred to the 207th Signal Company in Thailand. Eventually there were 12 message and 3 voice channels operated in Thailand.
Also operating in Thailand was the United States Army Security Agency (ASA) or the signal intelligence branch. The ASA was tasked with monitoring and interpreting military communications of the Soviet Union, the People’s Republic of China, and their allies and client states around the world (so this included North Vietnam, the Pathet Lao and Cambodian (and Thai insurgents). The ASA was directly subordinate to the National Security Agency and all major field stations had NSA technical representatives present.
Although not officially serving under the ASA name, covertly designated as "Radio Research", ASA personnel of the 3rd Radio Research Unit were among the earliest US military personnel in Vietnam; the 3rd later grew to become the 509th Radio Research Group. In Thailand the units present were the 5th RRU (Radio Research Unit) which became the 83rd RRSOU (Radio Research Special Operations Unit) and then finally the 7th RRFS (Radio Research Field Station). Elements of them were located in Bangkok, Non Soong, Udorn (see Figure 5), Minburi, Ubon, Chiang Mai, Panom Sarakham and U-Tapao in their various incarnations.
Engineering
The 44th Engineer Group had the mission of providing general engineer construction support to the 9th Logistical Command later USARSUPTHAI. Areas of responsibility covered Eastern Thailand from Sattahip in the south to Ubon in the east to Udorn in the north. The radius of operation extends up to 400 kilometers from the headquarters at Korat. The Group had a several battalions, 538th & 809th (and many companies under these) and some other support companies for work like pipelines (697th Co.)
CAT and Air America
Although not a part of the US Army, Udorn was also a center of Asian CIA operations from 1955, starting as Civil Air Transport (CAT). Air America's roles supportive of covert and overt situations related to hostilities in Asia and elsewhere. Operations were focused in Laos as part of the Secret War the US carried out against the Phatet Lao communist rebels operating in the country. Udorn also served as the location of "Headquarters 333", the Thai organization in charge of their forces in Laos.
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| Figure 10: The Udorn Air America compound, shown around 1965, crowded with T-28 Trojan aircraft likely destined for a CIA covert operation. |
American Withdrawal from Thailand
The end of US military involvement in Thailand, specifically 1972–1975, was driven by the winding down of the Vietnam War and a request from a newly democratic Thai government for the removal of American combat forces. The phased withdrawal, which largely focused on the more numerous Air Force and Marine personnel, culminated in the exit of nearly all US forces by mid-1976.
Winding down the Vietnam War:
As the United States implemented its "Vietnamization" policy and disengaged from Vietnam, its need for extensive military bases in neighboring Thailand diminished. By January 1973, US combat air operations in Southeast Asia had officially ceased.
In October 1973, a popular uprising in Thailand ended the long-standing military dictatorship. The new, democratically elected government was more nationalist and less tolerant of a large US military presence within its borders. The Thai government faced increasing domestic dissent and political pressure to remove US forces. Riots in Bangkok targeting the US Embassy in 1975 further fueled calls for withdrawal
The fall of South Vietnam and Cambodia to communist forces in April 1975 intensified regional instability and strained US-Thai relations. The Thai government was particularly angered by the US use of its bases for the Mayaguez rescue operation in 1975 without permission.
Timeline of withdrawal (1972–1976)
1972–1973: Initial phase-down: In the first half of 1972, US Army presence in Thailand was limited to support roles for Air Force and clandestine operations in Laos. By this time, combat troops from Thailand had already left South Vietnam.
After the Paris Peace Accords were signed in January 1973, US combat forces began to depart in larger numbers. For example, a major Marine contingent based at Nam Phong departed in September 1973.
1974: Escalated draw-down: Negotiations between the US and Thailand led to an acceleration of the withdrawal schedule. By the end of 1974, the US closed several airbases, including Takhli and Ubon.
1975: Withdrawal of combat forces: In March 1975, the Thai government formally announced its policy of seeking better relations with its neighbors and requested that all US combat troops be withdrawn within a year. By the end of 1975, US combat forces had been withdrawn from Thailand, under Palace Lightning.
1976: Complete military withdrawal: The US and Thailand failed to reach an agreement for a residual, non-combat force to remain in Thailand. The Thai government formally ordered the complete withdrawal of all remaining US military personnel, with the exception of a few military aid advisers.
All US military facilities, including the key airbases at U-Tapao, Korat and Udorn, were (completely) turned over to the Thai government. The withdrawal of US forces was essentially complete by July 1976.
Legacy of the withdrawal
The end of US Army and US Air Force involvement in Thailand significantly reduced the American footprint in Southeast Asia. The withdrawal actually helped modernize Thailand's armed forces, which received a large quantity of American-left military equipment and infrastructure. Thailand also emerged as a stable economic and political power in the region, avoiding the fate of its then communist-controlled neighbors Cambodia and Laos.
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