mong the highest levels of government. In the future after Vietnam, the military was adamant that this would not happen again. The crucial discussions among the highest echelons of the government prior to war in June and July 1965 focused on the number of troops that would be provided rather than for how and for what ends they would be used. The military would never forget the governments ineptitude especially in the area of off limit targets. The North Vietnamese Army had virtual sanctuaries were they could shuttle supplies and forces from, due to the fact that Johnson didn't want to escalate the conflict. The restriction of bombing, mining, and blockade in the North and on attacking sanctuaries in North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia severely constrained the military strategy of the generals. The added affect was for years to come there was distrust and contempt between the military brass and the government. Johnson not only became increasingly controlling of military matter's but neglected the domestic front. Presidential aides suggested the creation of a citizen's committee to mobilize support at the grass roots level. Johnson rejected this idea and others, public support programs weren't started until late 1967. By doing this he weekend the public's support for the war. Support started to decline rapidly as casualty rates went up. This had the affect of creating dissent at home and feeling of dissent for those who were fighting the war. This severely undercut the moral of the soldiers for year to come.The military complex itself defied logic. It had almost stopped becoming a fighting force and had turned it self into a bureaucratic nightmare, it needed to be turned around. One of the biggest problems in terms of the organization in Vietnam was the rotation system. The military had put into effect a system by which if you didn't achieve rank by a certain age you had to retire. Thus during Vietnam there was fierce competition and deman...
