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National Security Council ( Nsc ), And Department Of Defense

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ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

Name of the Organization: President, National Security Council (NSC), and

Department of Defense (DoD) Components involved in the USS Mayaguez Incident, 12

Their Mission: President Ford outlined three objectives for the rescue of the USS

1) Basic recovery of the vessel and crew

2) Avoidance of hostage negotiations

3) Reinforce the United States

through a display of force

According to John Guilmartin in his book A Very Short War: The Mayaguez and the

Battle of Koh Tang, priority was given to the first objective, which dictated the obligation

of forces to the rescue attempt (1995).

Size of the Organization: Directly, there were roughly 1000 personnel involved in the

incident. Indirectly, the numbers could extend to include Cambodia and Vietnam, but we

examine only the directly involved parties, most notably, the participating Department of

Defense units and the Merchant Marines.

Date of Incident: 12

Incident Summary: The Mayaguez Incident was a Presidential mission to recapture the

U.S. Merchant Ship S.S. Mayaguez in international waters. The ship and its 39

crew were seized on May 12, 1975, off the coast of Cambodia by Khmer Rouge forces

who approached the ship in gunboats. The Mayaguez crewmembers and ship were

eventually repatriated, and the operation was hailed as a victory for the administration of

President Gerald Ford as well as the Khmer Rouge. However, by the military directly

involved in the action, it

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