Vietnam War: United States military expenditure 1964-1975
Between 1964 and 1975, military spending by the U.S. government increased by almost 75%. This period was marked by the increasing U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, on the side of the South Vietnamese regime against the communist-led government of North Vietnam. Following Congress' authorization of direct military action following the Gulf of Tonkin incident in August 1964, military spending began to rise rapidly as the U.S. stationed ground troops in Vietnam and began Operation Rolling Thunder, at that time the largest bombing campaign in history.
Following the Tet Offensive by North Vietnamese forces in 1968, the U.S. began to scale back its involvement in the conflict, in a process known as 'vietnamization', whereby the Southern Vietnamese forces increasingly took charge of the war. The United States largely ceased military operations by the end of 1973, and the final U.S. service personnel left with the Fall of Saigon in 1975.
Following the Tet Offensive by North Vietnamese forces in 1968, the U.S. began to scale back its involvement in the conflict, in a process known as 'vietnamization', whereby the Southern Vietnamese forces increasingly took charge of the war. The United States largely ceased military operations by the end of 1973, and the final U.S. service personnel left with the Fall of Saigon in 1975.
