Defense by Defoliation: The Necessity for Agent Orange in Vietnam
Defense by Defoliation: The Necessity for Agent Orange in Vietnam
by Heather M. Brown
Download the Full Article: Defense by Defoliation: The Necessity for Agent Orange in Vietnam
In the mid-to-late 1960s, Americans became increasingly concerned with the strategic decision-making of U.S. leaders regarding the military’s presence in Vietnam. One of the most controversial decisions of the era was ratified on 7 January 1962, when the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army were given authorization under Operation RANCH HAND, to deploy the herbicides 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetate (2,4,5-T) and 2,4-dicholorophenoxyacetate (2,4-D), commonly known by its code name, Agent Orange, on South Vietnam. Operation RANCH HAND directed the herbicide spraying project from U.S. Air Force C-123 twin-engine aircraft, U.S. Army helicopters and infantry hand sprayers.
The RANCH HAND herbicide missions were held to a specific standard: typically multiple, brief, two-minute sprays requiring three to five C-123 aircraft flying in staggered lateral formation. Targets were chosen by U.S. military officers who were granted special approval from the U.S. Military Assistance Command and the American Ambassador. Thus, the U.S. Air Force was responsible for defoliating southern Vietnamese jungles, forests and foliage in order to improve visibility of enemy territory by exposing Việt cộng and North Vietnamese Army infiltration routes, base camps, weapon placements, and storage sites. U.S. Air Force records indicate, between 1962 and 1971, U.S. Army and Air Force units conducted 6,542 spray missions and deployed approximately 12 million gallons of Agent Orange on South Vietnam. They specifically targeted foliage used for cover, food crops and U.S. base perimeters.
The U.S. military’s use of Agent Orange severely impacted the region of southern Vietnam and the environmental damage serves as a reminder of the U.S.’s actions against those aggressors who jeopardize international peace. Similarly, the use of any military biotechnology, regardless of the country initiating disbursement, can inflict long-lasting collateral damage. However, Agent Orange can be viewed as an innovative and effective biotechnology whose unfortunate negative ecological impact proves the effectiveness of its original purpose. This paper will explore the U.S.’s commercial development and aggressive use of Agent Orange, examining its negative ecological impact as relates to foliage regrowth in southern Vietnam. Additionally, this paper will refute the assumption that the successful testing of Agent Orange preceding the Vietnam conflict deterred the U.S. military from utilizing other defoliation options.
Download the Full Article: Defense by Defoliation: The Necessity for Agent Orange in Vietnam
Heather Marie Brown received her undergraduate degree from Texas State University-San Marcos in December 2010 as a double-major in History and Political Science. Defense by Defoliation served as her undergraduate History senior research paper. Her historical research interests focus on American military history; specifically the American Revolutionary period and the American military presence in Vietnam. She is currently applying to the Diplomatic and Military History program at Texas A&M University for admittance in the spring of 2012.
This essay is dedicated in loving memory to my grandfather, Wayne Forrest Tysver, January 25, 1932 — October 18, 2010 who was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army with the rank of E-6 in 1962 after 10 years of devoted service to his country.
