Vietnamization

[ vee-et-nuh-muh-zey-shuhn, vyet-, vee-it- ]

noun

1. a U.S. policy during the Vietnam War of giving the South Vietnamese government responsibility for carrying on the war, so as to allow for the withdrawal of American troops.

Vietnamization

/ ˌvjɛtnəmaɪˈzeɪʃən /

noun

1. (in the Vietnam War) a US government policy of transferring the tasks of fighting and directing the war to the government and forces of South Vietnam

Word History and Origins

Origin of Vietnamization¹

First recorded in 1965–70; Vietnam + -ization

Example Sentences

That was also a failure, but I use “Vietnamization” in a different sense, to describe the use of overwhelming and often unnecessary brute force, leading to unintended and frequently disastrous consequences.

From Salon

But massive rearmament and “Vietnamization” of the IDF were not adequate to meet the challenges of the Yom Kippur War, in which Egyptian and Syrian forces at first overran the IDF, rapidly depleting Israel’s stock of arms.

From Salon

Another aspect of Vietnamization was the repugnant use of terminology such as “body count” to describe enemy casualties, not to mention the U.S. military’s infamous use of euphemisms, outright lies and doublespeak: “We had to destroy the village in order to save it.”

From Salon

It’s clear enough in hindsight that America fell into a trap with Vietnamization, employing ever more aggressive tactics and ever-larger amounts of ordnance and military hardware.

From Salon

President Nixon had won the White House in 1968 with the promise of a “secret plan” to end the war in Vietnam, and in his first year he adopted a policy that he called Vietnamization, which would train and equip South Vietnamese forces so that the United States could rapidly draw down its commitment there.

From New York Times