Australia's Commitment to the Vietnam War
Original contribution
30 Military Advisors for AATTV, followed by 1st battalion, RAR
First Increase
Prompted by a request from
President Johnson on 26 July 1965, the increase was minimal due to Australian
commitments elsewhere in the Asian region, merely augmenting additional
ancillary and support units to the battalion already in Vietnam.
Second Increase
Announced in March 1966.
This time however, it resulted from an Australian initiative rather than
from any outside request. The Vietnam force was increased from 1,400 to
4,500, which Prime Minister Holt told President Johnson represented the
upper limit of the Australian capacity.
Third Increase
Prime Minister Holt was
re-elected in November 1966 with an increased majority. Immediately following
this, he asked cabinet to consider an extra battalion for Vietnam. The
size of the force was thus increased by 900, though a decision to increase
the number of battalions was postponed, bringing the force to 6,300.
Fourth Increase
The
final troop increase was announced in October 1967. Washington had deployed
a mission to Australia and New Zealand to discuss further committal of
troops to Vietnam. The Australian contingent emphasised the strain already
placed on resources. In September, Secretary McNamara responded to an exposition
by the Treasurer William McMahon about these problems saying that "none
of the US allies were bearing their fair share in Vietnam and that they,
including Australia, could do more"(8). McMahon then recommended that Australia
should announce the commitment of the third battalion that was done on
6th October.
Decreasing commitment and
evacuation
By late 1970 Australia had
begun to wind down its military effort in Vietnam. The 8th Battalion departed
in November, but to make up for the decrease in troop numbers the team's
strength was increased, and its efforts, like those of the taskforce, became
concentrated in Phouc Tuy province. The withdrawal of troops continued
throughout 1971, the last battalion left Nui Dat on 7 November, while a
handful of advisers belonging to the team remained in Vietnam until the
following year. In December 1972 they became the last Australian troops
to come home- their unit had seen continuous service in South Vietnam for
ten and a half years.
From the time of the arrival of the first members of the team in 1962 some 50,000 Australians, including ground troops and Air Force and Navy personnel, served in Vietnam; 496 were killed and almost 2,400 wounded. The war was the cause of the greatest social and political dissent in Australia since the conscription referendums of the First World War. Many draft resisters, conscientious objectors and protesters had been fined or gaoled, while soldiers sometimes met a hostile reception on their return home
| Maximum Presence | 8,600 | |
| Total Number who served from 1962 - 1973 | 46 852 | |
| Number killed | 494 | |
| Casualties | 3,100 | |
| Financial Cost to Australia |
Officially
$A218.4million
Unofficially as high as $500 million |
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A total of 508 Australians died in Vietnam: 478 Army personnel, 14 RAAF personnel, 9 Navy personnel and 7 civilians. This number includes 6 Australian servicemen who were declared Missing in Action during the war. These 6 are believed to have been killed in action but have no known graves.
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