DO YOU KNOW HOW FLAWED METRICS SHAPED U.S. STRATEGY IN VIETNAM?

Insights into understanding the Vietnam War

One lesser-known fact about the Vietnam War was the significant role that “McNamara’s Folly” played in shaping the conflict.

Robert McNamara, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, was a key architect of the escalation of American involvement in Vietnam. McNamara’s team relied heavily on statistical measures, such as body counts and the number of enemy troops killed, to gauge progress. This approach, which focused on quantifiable data, often failed to account for the complex and evolving nature of the war, including the political and cultural aspects.

The reliance on such metrics led to misleading assessments of the war’s progress and contributed to the U.S. strategy in the conflict’s eventual disillusionment. This period of military strategy and policy, often critiqued for its reliance on flawed metrics, highlights the importance of considering the broader context and qualitative factors in assessing conflict.

The disputable reasons for the conflict and what our unit did to survive are detailed in Vietnam Uncensored. The book launch is just weeks away. I invite you to join the growing Vietnam Jerry community at get the first chapter, and listen to the fantastic radio broadcast of Corporal Cummings’ ghost story. You’ll be glad you did.

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The net proceeds will go to aid veterans in need at the Kaufman Fund. Thanks. I remain with best regards — Jerry.