Key Facts
- Duration
- April 29 – July 22, 1970 (ARVN); May 1 – June 30, 1970 (US)
- Operations conducted
- 13 (ARVN) plus US operations
- PAVN/VC troops targeted
- ~40,000
- Objective
- Destroy PAVN/VC bases and capture COSVN headquarters
- Key trigger
- Coup replacing Prince Sihanouk with pro-US General Lon Nol
Strategic Narrative Overview
Thirteen ARVN operations began April 29, 1970, with US forces joining May 1. Allied units captured several towns and seized large quantities of weapons, ammunition, and supplies from PAVN/VC base camps. However, the primary targets—roughly 40,000 enemy troops and the Central Office for South Vietnam (COSVN) command headquarters—largely evaded the cordon, as PAVN forces had withdrawn westward weeks before the offensive began, and a PAVN counter-offensive had already seized large parts of eastern Cambodia.
01 / The Origins
Cambodia's official neutrality had long allowed North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces to use its eastern border regions as sanctuaries and supply routes. The United States, pursuing Vietnamization and a gradual withdrawal, sought to eliminate these cross-border threats. The March 1970 coup that deposed Prince Norodom Sihanouk and installed pro-American General Lon Nol created an opening for allied forces to enter Cambodian territory and strike PAVN/VC base areas directly.
03 / The Outcome
US forces withdrew from Cambodia by June 30, 1970, in compliance with a congressional deadline. ARVN operations continued until late July. Allied forces failed to destroy PAVN/VC troop strength or capture COSVN, but claimed success based on the volume of captured materiel. The campaign accelerated the Cambodian Civil War, deepened US domestic opposition to the Vietnam War, and contributed to the broader destabilization of Cambodia.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
3 belligerents
Side B
2 belligerents