U.S. FORCE GOING TO 425,000

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31109, 12 July 1966, Page 17

U.S. FORCE GOING TO 425,000

(N Z. Press Assn. —Copgright? WASHINGTON, July 11. The United States force in South Vietnam will soar from its present 280,000 to 425,000 by next (northern) spring, according to military spokesmen quoted yesterday by the “New York Times.” In spite of recent optimistic declarations about Vietnam war prospects by President Johnson and other top civilian and military leaders, the administration is quietly launching another major expansion of the armed forces, says the journal. No announcement had been made, but it was believed that at June 30, the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force had exceeded budgeted force levels for that date by nearly 100,000 men. The Army, which was growing fastest of all the services was under instructions to continue training new recruits at maximum capacity of about 50,000 a month, at least for the next three months. The thrust of this activity

is fairly apparent. The United States is rapidly preparing for further substantial deployments of fighting men to Vietnam.

It was now believed by senior officers that the President would boost the 280,000man force currently in South Vietnam to about 375,000 by the end of the year and to 425,000 by next spring. Such plans were said to have been discussed by the Defence Secretary, Mr Robert McNamara, on his trip last week to the Pacific command

headquarters in Honolulu. In the Washington military community senior officers and officials privately differ among themselves on the nearness of success in Vietnam. But they agree that large military reinforcements are required to hasten a successful outcome.

The dominant view is that persistent, continued air attacks on petroleum supplies throughout North Vietnam will impose a definite ceiling on the size of force the enemy can support in active com-

bat in South Vietnam. Some Defence Department officials estimate that this ceiling is at or slightly above the current strength of about 101,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong main force troops, 18,000 combat support troops and 152,000 part-time guerrillas and armed political activists. “If the enemy force can be held to a fixed level, while we grow a lot bigger and stronger, in military terms there isn’t much doubt about the result,” said one officer.