‘U.S. troops now just defending’
(N.Z. Preu Association—Citpyrighl)
WASHINGTON, August
The United States Secretary of Defence (Mr Melvin Laird), amplifying today President Nixon’s statement that American forces in Vietnam have moved into defensive positions, said that America’s ground-combat role was nearly ended.
"Phase one of the Vietnamisation programme has been virtually completed,” Mr Laird said, but he added that this did not mean an end to all combat activity. Addressing delegates to the American Legion Girls' Nation, he said: “It should be clear to all that there will
be action by American mil tary units protecting Unite: States bases and suppor troops still in Vietnam.” Earlier, Mr Nixon had tol( a news conference: "Ameri can troops are, frankly, just defending areas which we occupy.”
Mr Laird reiterated the Administration’s pledge of further troop reductions as its three-phased Vietnamisa tion programme Continued. The programme calls, first, for replacing United States infantrymen with South Vietnamese soldiers in combat while development of the Vietnamese Air Force, Navy and other support forces moves ahead at a slowei pace. By the middle of next year the United States presence it expected to be reduced to s military advisory mission an< a comparatively smal security force of betwee: 40,000 and 50,000 men. There are now abou 225,000 troops in the wai zone, and fewer than 30 com bat battalions, compared with 543,400 troops and 112 bat taiions at the peak of the American commitment.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32678, 6 August 1971, Page 9
Word Count
238‘U.S. troops now just defending’ Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32678, 6 August 1971, Page 9
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