PROPOSED FORMATION OF SIX THAI SPECIAL GUERRILLA UNIT BATALLIONS FOR INTERDICTION OPERATIONS IN SOUTH LAOS

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02353688
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: February 8, 2018
• Case Number: F-2016-01079
• Publication Date: July 23, 1970

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6ENTRAL IN."1"ELLIGF.:NCE AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20505
MEMORANDUM FOR:
SUBJECT:
WSAG , PAPER
Ezocutivo Rogiztry
.g 3 JUL 197
The Honorable Henry A. Kissinger
Assistant to the President for
National Security. Affairs
The Honorable U. Alexis Johnson
Under Secretary of State for
Political Affairs
The Honorable David Packard
Deputy Secretary of Defense
Admiral Thomas H. Moorer
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
Proposed Formation of Six Thai
Special Guerrilla Unit Battalions
for Interdiction Operations in South
Laos
1. At the Washington Special Action Group meeting on
17 July 1970, Dr. Kissinger requested that the proposal for the
six Thai special guerrilla unit (SGU) battalions to be used in an
expanded harassment and interdiction effort against North
Vietnamese supply routes and lines of communication in south Laos
be sct forth in a separate memorandum to include the details of
the funds required and the political approvals necessary. The
proposal for the recruitment, training and deployment of these .six
Thai SGU battalions was included in the CIA portion of the field
response to the WSAG request for a .coordinated interdiction plan
for south Laos.
� 2. The CIA Vientiane Station .'s contribution to the south Laos
interdiction program included the use .of ten existing' and five
SECRET .F.�NSITIVE
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� programmed Lao SGU battalions. Their plan also included the
proposal for an expanded interdiction effort based on the creation
of 12 additional SGU battalions. This nrlr141iml".1 "�Oar force
would be composed of
3. The available manpower of military age in south Laos
is extremely limited. Our Vientiane Station has estimated that
it can recruit an additional two Lao SGU battalions to augment
the existing Lao irregular forces. If a significantly increased
harassment and interdiction program is to be conducted against
the North Vietnamese supply routes and lines of communication
through south Laos, additional irregular forces will be required.
Our Vientiane Station has explored the feasibility of recruiting
SGU battalion personnel in Thailand for use.in Laos. This was
discussed with General Vitoon Yasawat, the senior Thai liaison
officer and General Vitoon believes
we could recruit and organize six Thai SGU battalions with little
difficulty. It is estimated that it would.take approximately four
months to recruit and train the first two battalions. The second
two battalions could be recruited and trained and ready for deploy-
ment approximately three months later. The same time phase
would apply for the final two battalions.
4. Each Thai battalion would be composed of 30 regular
Royal Thai Army cadre, 23 Royal Thai Army radio operators and
497 Thai volunteers. The Royal Thai Army cadre and the radio
operator personnel would be selected from officers ar.lel non-
commissioned officers assigned to General Vitoon's headquarters
at Udorn, Thailand. The 497 Thai volunteer personnel would be
recruited from Village defense cadre and the Thai-Laos border
region.
" 5. The total cost for training, the initial issue-of equipment
and the annual supporting requirements for the six Thai SGU
2
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battalions is estimated to be
A detailed budget schedule
for a proposed Thai SGU battalion, is atta, _led (Attachment A).
Because of the necessity to phase the recruitment and training
of these six Thai SGU battalions, we have estimated that
would be necessary during FY 1971. We have broken
this down into three increments, starting with 1 August as the
date that thel first funding increment of
(Attachment B).
would be required
6. The estimated annual cost of one Thai SGU battalion is
This contrasts with the annual cost of for
one Lao SGU battalion. The difference is in the salary and
subsistence payments and the death benefit scale. Thai are
simply more expensive than Lao. The formation of these six
Thai SGU battalions will also require additional M- 16A1 rifles,
M-60 light machine guns and other necessary equipment. The
requirements for both fixed and rotary wing aircraft support
would also increase with the deployment of these bat,:dions.
7. The funds for these battalions are not in the FY 1971
budget now before Congress. Moreover, it is estimated that the
Laos paramilitary program, for which CIA is now responsible,
will cost approximately
requested in the FY 1971 budget. Neither the
ncludes the funding for the six
Thai SGU battalions, the two Lao SGU battalions,
and the ground weapons systems improvement
program. The CIA contingency reserve is low and cannot begin
to finance the Thai SGU battalion proposal and the other similar
projects currently under consideration by WSAG. Implementation
will, therefore, require that funds be provided from some source
external to CIA.
8. If this proposal is approved and the funds made available,
it would be necessary to assign five. additional paramilitary officers
STjSE-NSlTIVE
EYES Y
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on a permanent basis These personnel
will be made available from existing CIA resources.
is! Thorns IL Karnicincs
Thomas H. Karamessines
Deputy Director for Plans
Attachments:
A. I3u:dget Schedule for Thai SGU Battalion
B. Funding Increments for Thai SGU Battalion�
SEC. SENSITIVE
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.140fir EYE LY AtoeMment A
23 July 1970
c'ENSITIVE �
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ONLY Noilltachment B
23 July 1970
r SENSITIVE
EYES
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01,
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EYES'al
Memorandum for the WSAG Principals
SUBJECT: Proposed Formation of Six Thai SGU Battalions
for Interdictions Operations in South Laos
DDP:CFE/TBL:
jmw (23 July 70)
Distribtition:
- Ea Addressee, w/atts
DCI, w faits
1 - DDCI, w/atts
1 - ADDP, w/atts
1 - DDP, w/atts
2 - CFE, w/atts
2- CVE/TBL'� w/atts
2 - FE/TBLL, w/atts
SEiSESTIVE
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