United States Air Force in Thailand

The United States Air Force (USAF) deployed combat aircraft to Thailand from 1960 to 1975 during the Vietnam War. Today, US military units train with other Asian militaries in Thailand. Royal Thai Air Force Bases are an important element in the Pentagon's "forward positioning" strategy.

Throughout the 1950s, Laos had been embroiled in civil war, and by the early 1960s, the conflict was threatening to spread to Thailand. Major fighting broke out in December 1960 and spread far enough to cause casualties among Thai civilians living along the Mekong River. The United States Embassy in Vientiane was burned to the ground and fighting raged in and around the city. Western governments recognized different leaders, with military aid being provided to the communist Pathet Lao forces by the Soviet Union. In December, the U. S. air attaché photographed a Soviet Il 14 cargo plane transporting supplies to communist forces near Van Vieng. On 23 December, communist forces fired on an American VC 47 passenger transport. The plane, which was carrying the air attaché, was struck by .50 caliber rounds but was able to land safely. It was the first American aircraft in Southeast Asia to be fired upon. Thailand was a constitutional monarchy and traditionally maintained a pro western stance in foreign affairs. The fighting in Laos was of great concern to the Thai government. The government feared that should Laos fall to the communists, the "Domino Theory" would place the entire region, including Thailand, in jeopardy. Northeast Thailand housed a community of Vietnamese mixed with Chinese. Some of the Vietnamese wanted to move to communist North Vietnam, but they were not necessarily communist sympathizers. Indeed, attempts by North Vietnamese communists to organize the Vietnamese in Thailand were dealt with strongly by the Thai government. The Royal Thai Government began flying reconnaissance missions over Laos on 19 December 1960 with some RT 33 photo jets. United States Pacific Command (CINCPAC) ordered American technicians to assist the Royal Thai Air Force in processing and analyzing the film. On 19 January 1961, PACAF had identified 25 airfields, 49 communications routes, and 19 urban targets. A few weeks later, HQ USAF authorized the release of these photographs to the governments of Laos and Thailand. On 23 March 1961 Pathet Lao anti aircraft artillery opened fire on an American C 47 as it flew over the eastern portion of the Plaines des Jarres, shooting the plane down. It was one of the first USAF aircraft shot down over Indochina, and marked the beginning of combat action by the USAF from bases in Thailand.

On 2 August 1964, the Gulf of Tonkin Incident occurred. An alleged attack by North Vietnamese torpedo boats on American destroyer, USS Maddox DD 731]. The misinterpreted incident took place in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam. President Johnson used the flawed information about the incident to order additional forces to the area to support the government of South Vietnam.(https://www. usni. org/magazines/naval history magazine/2008/february/truth about tonkin) USAF forces were dispatched to Thailand. This marked the beginning of large scale United States military operations in Southeast Asia.

Thailand was a member of SEATO. While supposedly maintaining an air of neutrality, it was deeply concerned about the fighting in neighboring Indochina. Over the centuries, Thai governments had managed to avoid foreign domination with a policy of accommodation with the predominant power in Asia at the time. By 1965, the increasing number of American aircraft deployments to Thailand was jeopardizing policy. The Royal Thai government's desire to avoid publicity led to the formation of a policy to downplay the United States' presence and not draw attention to its tactical air units in Thailand. This is why so little information about the USAF in Thailand was made public during the Vietnam War. Much of that information remains unavailable, being considered sensitive to the Thai government. The Thai government prohibited photographing of American personnel and military aircraft, with the exception of official archive photography taken for documentation and official release. American news agencies, such as United Press International and Associated Press, were prohibited from filing stories about American military activities. Attacks on US bases and personnel were suppressed and any personnel wounded during military action in Thailand did not receive recognition of or awards for their wounds. Military information officers were instructed that no mention was to be made of operations from Thai facilities, no names of bases were to be mentioned and no mention of operational activities were to be released. The report "Snakes in the Eagles Nest" gives a partial account of combat operations in Thailand during the Vietnam War. USAF combat sorties from Thailand flown into both North Vietnam and South Vietnam grew as the Vietnam War expanded in the 1960s. In addition, combat missions were flown aiding friendly forces in Laos and, starting in 1970, Cambodia were also flown. The missions flown over Laos are today referred to as the Secret War. Although the existence of the so called "Secret War" was sometimes reported in the U. S., details were largely unavailable due to official government denials that the war even existed. The denials were seen as necessary considering that the US had signed agreements specifying the neutrality of Laos. US involvement in Laos was considered necessary because North Vietnam had effectively conquered a large part of the country and was equally lying in public about its role in Laos. Despite these denials, however, the Secret War was actually the largest U. S. covert operation prior to the Afghan Soviet War, with areas of Laos controlled by North Vietnam subjected to three million tons of bombing, representing the heaviest U. S. led bombing campaign since World War II.

The United States ended its involvement in Southeast Asia by treaty and disengagement rather than by military victory. After the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975, relations between Washington and Bangkok turned sour. In May 1975, the Royal Thai Government asked the United States to remove all of its combat forces (27,000 troops, 300 aircraft) by 1976. The USAF bases were closed and the last USAF personnel left Thailand in June 1976. The removal of U. S. military forces was accomplished by United States Marine Detachment BLT 1/9 out of Okinawa, Japan.

Despite Thailand's neutrality on the war in Iraq, the Thai government allowed U Tapao RTNAF to be used by American warplanes flying into combat in Iraq, as it had earlier done during the war in Afghanistan. In addition, U Tapao may be where Al Qaeda operatives have been interrogated, according to some retired American intelligence officials.