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FLEXIBLE RESPONSE and brigades had been tailored for various missions within various regional commands. Light units campaigned effectively in Vietnam, heavy units continued to meet NATO commitments in Europe, and Army forces in the United States covered contingencies for all commands. The major problem for the Army was the acquisition of personnel and equipment. All divisions and brigades, except for those in Vietnam, suffered a decline in readiness, the price of meeting the demands of the conflict. Soldiers were withdrawn from Vietnam as individuals, and most units returned to the United States as paper organizations. The Army appeared to have solved its organizational problems associated with flexible response, but it had not come to grips with its perennial difficulty, shortages of human and materiel resources.