CIA ORDER OF BATTLE CONFERENCE JULY 1970

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78T02095R000500050001-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 24
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 22, 2001
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: July 10, 1970
• Content Type: AG

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CIA Order ofl.Battle Conference
July 1970
- to DCI memo re Proposed Conference to Revise
Estimates of Strengths of VC/NVA Forces
Attachment: Helms to Lt. Gen. Donald Bennett, DIA,
memo, dated 12 Jun 70, re Conference
to Revise Estimates of Strengths of
VC/NVA Forces
CIA Order of Battle Conference (time, purpose, partici-
pation, requirements, scope) LDX'd to DIA,
as guidance for outgoing cable to CIN A an MACV
announcing the OB conference
STATINTL
Blind Memo re Revision of Intelligence Estimates of
VC/NVA Forces
Attachments: Hand-written note re request from
for info on estimates of
enemy s rengths in Cambodia/SVN
border regions; VC recruiting in
Cambodia; friendly troop disposition;
latest supply losses
Blind Memo re VC/NVA Forces in Cambodia
Blind Memo, dated 8 Jun 70, re Communist
Recruitment of Ethnic Cambodians
22 Jun 70 Lt. Gen. Bennett to DCI memo re Conference to Revise
Estimates of Strength of VC/NVA Forces (agreeing to
proposed conference)
DIA Declassification/Release Instructions on File
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CIA Order of Battle Conference
I. Time and Location: The conference will convene
no later than 15 July 1970 at CIA Head-
quarters, Langley, Virginia. It will last
for a period of 7-10 days.
Ii. Purpose: The conference has been called by the
Director of Central Intelligence who desires
the participation of DIA and the field com-
mands before publishing his revised estimates
of the enemy forces in South Vietnam. The
conference is directed specifically to do
the following:
1. Make revisions to existing order
of battle estimates on the basis of the
new unit identifications resulting from
exploitation of the documentation acquired
during the current Cambodian operations
and other relevant data.
2. Make any necessary changes in the
strength figures assigned to units already
listed in existing order of battle holdings.
3. Examine implications of these
revisions on aggregative order of battle
estimates and make changes as required.
III. Participation: The conference is intended as a
meeting of working level order of battle
specialists, principally from CIA, DIA,
CINCPAC and MACV. Other organizations
represented at the conference will partici-
pate in observer status.
Delegations to the conference should include
at least three working level specialists to
participate in panel sessions.
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IV. Requirements:
- Delegates should have SI clearance.
- Each delegation is expected to deposit
with the conference the results of its
exploitation of the relevant intelligence
materials for consideration in panel
sessions. This requirement is parti-
cularly important for MACV since it has
more immediate and broader access to
captured documents.
V. Scope: As a general rule the conference will
concern itself with those categories of
enemy forces which are included in the
military threat as shown in published
CIA-DIA agreed estimates.
OER/CIA
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FORM
AUG NO.
54 101 WHICH CMAY FORM
BE USED.
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Directorate of Intelligence
15 June 1970
SUBJECT: Revision of Intelligence Estimates of VC/NVA
Forces
1. The current military operations in Cambodia
have unearthed a large number of captured documents
which provide detailed information on the organization
and strength of the enemy forces operating in Cambodia
and/or along the border areas of South Vietnam. The
documents are proving to be particularly valuable
because they are providing information on units and
areas about which our previous knowledge was quite
scant. Our examination of the new evidence indicates
that revision of the current estimates is imperative
and that these revisions may be substantial.
2. Preliminary analysis suggests that the current
estimates understate the strength of the enemy's
Regular forces (Main/Local Forces and Administrative
Service Troops) by something on the order of 30,000 men.
An adjustment of this magnitude would mean an increase
of about 15 percent in the current estimate.
3. It is important,to note, however, that the
larger part of the correction will be for the Adminis-
trative Services category. A good part of the correction
will reflect the identification of previously unknown
units, or units whose existence was known but without
any idea of their personnel strength. It appears that
the community's estimates of combat forces have been
very close to the mark but that we have been understating
the manpower requirements needed to maintain and support
the combat effort, particularly for those support forces
located in Cambodia. The adjustments to be made to the
estimates of combat forces will run less than 10,000.
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4. The following examples provide some very pre-
liminary approximations of some of the adjustments that
seem to be in order. The estimate for COSVN military
components will probably be increased by about 15,000.
Some 1,500 of these are personnel in previously
unidentified sapper battalions. Another 4,500 are the
personnel of three newly identified regiments that are
responsible for the support and movement of infiltrating
personnel coming into the COSVN area and also the large
flow of sick and wounded leaving the area. In the B-3
front -- to the north of the COSVN area -- the documents
provide strengths, for the first time, of the four
Binh Trams, or logistics stations, known to be located
in Cambodia and extending southward from Laos along the
South Vietnamese border. These four units total about
3,000 men. Although the documents verify the estimated
unit structure for combat forces in the B-3 front area,
they also seem to indicate that their aggregate strengths
have been underestimated by some 3,000-4,000 men.
5. These estimates are, of course, highly important
to an understanding of enemy capabilities and a con-
siderable amount of detailed analysis is in order before
revisions can be officially made. To facilitate this
work, Mr. Helms had directed that a conference of order
of battle specialists be convened no later than 15 July
1970. The conference will be chaired by CIA. DIA,
CINCPAC and MACV have been invited to participate.
6. Finally, it is interesting to note that apart
from the issue of estimates of military forces, the
captured documents are providing a considerable amount
of detailed information on the structure and strength
of COSVN's political apparatus. This was formerly
estimated at 2,500, but the newly captured documents
put its personnel strength at about 8,000. This figure
includes a regiment of security troops subordinate to
the Security Section'(police).
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Vietnamese Communist- recruitment of ethnic Cambodians has
apparently been extensive primarily in the southern and eastern
parts of the country.
a played primarily upon pro-
Sihanouk sentiments. However, the loyalties of the Cambodians
are apparently superficial and often melt in combat. Some
sources indicate that extensive indoctrination will be needed
to fully incorporate the Cambodians into the Communist structure.
Vietnamese Communists are probably also present in Khmer Rouge
military units although the extent of Vietnamese control is
unknown.
8 June 1970
OBR/I/TLC
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`MEMORANDUM FOR: Distribution of attached
1 - DDCI
1 - SAVA
1 - O/DD I
1 - ONE
1 - OCI
6,1- - DD/O
1 - Ch/D/I
1 - Ch/I/SV
3 - St/P/C
I b JUN 1970
(DATE)
FORM NO. 101 REPLACES FORM 10.101
1 AUG 54 WHICH MAY BE USED.
MEMORANDUM FOR: DDCI
The attached OER statement on the
pending revision of estimates of VC/NVA
forces was prepared for
meeting today with Mr. Pac ar .
Acting Director
Economic Research
(DATE)
I
MAY FORM
FORM AUG NO -
54 101 WHICH REPLACES
BE USED.01
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MEMORANDUM FOR:
Statement on revision of OB esti-
mates for your meeting with Mr. Packard.
OER has made internal Agency distribution.
cting Director
Economic Research
FORM NO. IOI REPLACES FORM 10-101
1 AUG 54 WHICH MAY BE USED.
MEMORANDUM FOR: O/DD/
Attn:
Statement in re revision of OB
estimates prepared for
meeting today with Mr. Packard.
Economic Research
(DATE)
FORM NO. REPLACES FORM 10.101
1 AUG 54 lol WHICH MAY BE USED.
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FORM NO. 101 REPLACES FORM 10.101
1 AUG 54 WHICH MAY BE USED.
11 REPLACES FORM 10.101
FORM NO. 101
1 AUG 54 WHICH MAY BE USED.
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DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20301
S-2240/AP-4A
MEMORANDUM FOR DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
I IN 197D
SUBJECT: Conference to Revise Estimates of Strength of VC/NVA
Forces (U)
Reference: CIA memorandum, subject as above, dated 12 June 1970.
1. (S) I wholeheartedly agree that a VC`NVA order-of-battle conference
should be held to exploit documentary information which has become available
as a result of the Allied operations in Cambodia. `,In my view, the con-
ference should not be convened until mid-July to allow the participants
maximum time to review all relevant data.
2. (S) The field commands, MACV in particular, should play an
invaluable role in the conference; to my knowledge MACV elements are
the only ones which have had a good opportunity to review new data
first hand. I have dispatched a message to CINCPAC/MACV advising of
the conference objectives and emphasizing the necessity of their
participation.
3. (S) If exploitation of currently available material is not
sufficient to allow definitive conclusions, the conference should
help to identify areas on which priority attention should be focused.
The conference can also provide the opportunity to examine some of the
side issues vital to over-all strength considerations, e. g., losses
and attrition among southbound infiltration groups.
4. (U) My action officer for the conference is LTC Roy J. Herte, Jr.,
DIAAP-4A2 (Ext 53932).
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