Rules of Engagement

During the Vietnam conflict, the Rules of Engagement provided distinct limitations on what military forces could and could not do. It is worth considering how the Rules of Engagement for Vietnam -- and the rationale behind them -- affected the progress of the military action there, and reflected the ideology behind it. An examination of six different points on the military's chain of command -- from the level of individual soldiers all the way up to that of the Commander in Chief -- during Vietnam will yield some understanding of how Rules of Engagement can affect a prolonged military campaign.

From the perspective of individual soldiers, the Rules of Engagement placed limitations on what was and was not permissible during combat. After the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution expanded America's military support in the Vietnamese conflict, the Rules of Engagement were amended accordingly. The post-Tonkin ROE declared:

Hostile...
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