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Declassified per Executive Order 13526, Section 3.3 NND Project Number: NND 63316. By: NWD Date: 2011  period of the next 3-1/2 years, with an immediate requirement for two additional Infantry Divisions and essential supporting forces. The two additional Infantry Divisions are considered essential to bolster present forces in Northern and Central Viet Nam due to the continuing deterioration of the situation in Laos.

3.

Current authorized strength for the Civil Guard is 68,000. Is is organized into companies and battalions. Each province has a battalion composed of four or five companies. Its primary mission is to complete training and to assume the bulk of the semi-static security missions in Viet Nam, thus freeing the majority of Rangers and regular ARVN units for offensive operations and training. In view of the critical threat posed by the insurgency, control of the Civil Guard was transferred on 3 December 1960 from the Department of the Interior to the Department of Defense. Training of Civil Guard is now conducted by ARVN. Civil Guard units have been equipped or are in the process of being equipped with vehicles, weapons, radios, and other essential items.

A short supply situation has necessitated suspension of equipment issue to all units except those separate companies entering unit training at the Song Mao Civil Guard Training Center. This suspension will be lifted when more material arrives in Viet Nam. A significant quantity and variety of equipment should be on hand before the end of CY 1961 to complete the equipping of the first 32,000 civil guardsmen. It is essential that all of the 70,000 Civil Guard force will be completely equipped by the end of CY 1962.

4.

The Self Defense Corps (SDC) is a para-military "village militia" type

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