Research at the National Archives

Information About Records Relating to the [Vietnam War] Operations Analysis (OPSANAL) System

Center for Electronic Records, Reference Report #16

Note that the following are descriptions of records in the custody of the Center for Electronic Records. Therefore, all records described are computerized data files.

Introduction

The Vietnam war is one of the most significant watersheds in American history, and although it is one of the most documented periods, there remains a tremendous need to reexamine all aspects of the conflict. Electronic records in the Center for Electronic Records, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) provide unique primary documentation for such analysis. This report, prepared as an internship project in the Center for Electronic Records, outlines and describes a database group which was used extensively during the war in Southeast Asia by decision makers at the highest levels. The report is divided into two sections. The first section provides a brief description of the various files, and their operational use in the field, while the second section describes the utility of these files to researchers by outlining methods in which the files can be used in conjunction with other information resources to establish a more enriched understanding of the conflict in Vietnam.

Record Group 330: Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense

  • Operations Analysis System (OPSANAL), 1963 - 1973 (5 series, 22 data files, 161 doc. pages)

    America's military involvement in Southeast Asia demonstrates the first use of computers to provide large-scale quantitative analysis of military operations which aided executive decisions on the conduct of the war. Utilizing his experience in the corporate sector, Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara brought with him an expertise of statistical analysis and quantitative study which he applied to his management of the Department of Defense. Accordingly, the Operations Analysis System (OPSANAL) system was created during the Vietnam war by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Program Analysis and Evaluation (ASDPAE) to provide a means of statistically analyzing the conduct of both friendly and enemy military operations in Southeast Asia.

    The Operations Analysis System (OPSANAL) created by the Department of Defense provides a perfect representation of the statistical analysis paradigm which dominated the Pentagon throughout the Vietnam era. The system was originally created in a software dependent structure, called the National Military Command System (NMCS) Information Processing System 360 Formatted File System (NIPS). In its native NIPS environment, the OPSANAL system formed an early relational database whose files interlinked, enabling analysts to input queries on a wide variety of parameters. See the ADDENDUM for a description of the NIPS format.

    The following five files of the original nine making up the OPSANAL system were transferred to NARA for permanent preservation:

    AcronymSeries Title
    BASFA Enemy Base Area file
    SEAFASoutheast Asia Forces file
    TIRSATerrorist Incident Reporting System
    VCIIA Viet Cong Initiated Incident file
    VNDBA Vietnam Data Base file


    • Enemy Base Area File (BASFA), July 1966 - June 1971 (1 data file, 21 doc. pages)

      BASFA file contains data which defined enemy base area locations in South Vietnam, North Vietnam and Cambodia, on a monthly basis. Base areas are defined by geographic coordinates and by administrative areas, with information regarding the base area's current and past status (active, inactive, neutralized, deleted), and allied actions against the base. The period covered is July 1966 through to June 1971.

      The file was used most frequently during the American/South Vietnamese incursion into Cambodia, in conjunction with other electronic files containing such data as civil population locations, troop concentrations, air strikes, and enemy incidents. These combined files were also used for interrelated studies and area analyses in which computer plotters created maps and then visually displayed these separate data in various combinations in attempts to track shifts in patterns. BASFA was created using three source documents: (1) the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) Monthly Progress Report; (2) the MACV Annual Combined Campaign Plan; (3) the Combined Intelligence Center Vietnam, MACV/NVA Base and Operations Area Quarterly Report.

      BASFA was transferred to NARA in the NIPS format, but has been "de-NIPS'd" and is presently available as a reformatted data file. A NIPS version of the data file is also available. The file has 139 records, each being 1155 characters in length.

    • Southeast Asia Friendly Forces File (SEAFA), October 1966 - July 1972 (1 data file, 14 doc. pages) 3-330-76-042

      The Southeast Asia Friendly Forces File (SEAFA) identifies and locates every friendly maneuver battalion in South Vietnam. "Friendly" encompasses United States Forces, South Vietnamese forces and "Free World" (Thai, Australian, South Korean, etc.) forces. "Maneuver battalions" include infantry battalions, armored battalions, and armored cavalry squadrons. Reconnaissance battalions internally assigned to United States infantry, air mobile, and mechanized divisions were not considered maneuver battalions and are excluded. Though identification, command structure, and disposition of units are included, other traditional order of battle information such as personnel, equipment strengths, and personality data are excluded. This data was used to plot and keep track of maneuver units in the southeast Asian theater of operations from October 1966 through to July 1972. The file contains 19,036 records, one for each maneuver battalion for each month that the unit was in Vietnam.

      SEAFA is available to researchers in "de-NIPS'd" format, and is available as a fixed-length, reformatted data file. The file is also available in the original NIPS environment for those researchers who wish it.

    • Terrorist Incident Reporting System (TIRSA), January 1967 - February 1973 (1 data file, 31 doc. pages)

      The Terrorist Incident Reporting System (TIRSA) data file records incidents of violence initiated by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese against the civilian population of South Vietnam. TIRSA was created by MACV from reports originated by the South Vietnamese government which were channeled through the National Police and Combined Intelligence Center. TIRSA provided the Department of Defense (DOD) detailed data on terrorist activities. Such activities comprised a major feature of the Vietnam war, involving incidents of terrorism or harassment against isolated posts by small units not engaging in conventional fire fights. The file reveals targets and patterns of terrorist activity against the civilian population as a approximate barometer of the pacification effort. A complete list of the summary statistical tables regularly derived from TIRSA is included with the documentation for the data file.

      TIRSA was transferred to NARA in NIPS format but has been "de-NIPS'd" and is available as a fixed-length, reformatted data file. A NIPS version of the data file is also available. The data file has 62,266 records, each being a 74 character fixed-length.

    • Viet Cong Initiated Incident file (VCIIA), January 1963 - April 1971 (1 data file, 57 doc. pages)

      The Viet Cong Initiated Incident File (VCIIA) contains selected historical data on enemy-initiated incidents in South Vietnam from 1963 to 1971. The data identifies incidents by Situation Report Number, the location of incident by UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) coordinates, the date and time of the incident, type and objective of the enemy action, and the results of each incident. Data inputs were received from the VNDBA file (see below).

      VCIIA data was transferred to NARA in NIPS format. To date, the VCIIA data has not been "de-NIPS'd", however the National Archives can provide the files in the original NIPS format for manipulation by researchers or their computing staff.

    • Vietnam Data Base (VNDBA), 1963-1971 (18 data files, 38 doc. pages)

      The Vietnam Data Base file (VNDBA) contains data on enemy initiated incidents and friendly operations in South Vietnam. Data on enemy initiated incidents were used in the development of the VCIIA file. VNDBA contains historical information that pertains to location and time of enemy and friendly initiated actions, types, objectives, and results of various actions, and enemy and friendly elements involved in the action.

      VNDBA data for 1963 (14,017 records), 1964 (36,524 records), and 1965 (42,910 records) have been "de-NIPS'd" and reformatted to fixed-length records. VNDBA data for the years 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969 are available to researchers in the NIPS format for manipulation by them or their computing staff.

Essay on the Potential Research Value of the OPSANAL System Files

This section of the report will briefly outline how researchers can more effectively use the OPSANAL system.

Related Electronic Records (Selected)

The potential research value of the OPSANAL system, as with most databases, should not be evaluated as an isolated information source, but incorporated with other data to which it can be linked. NARA's Center for Electronic Records is fortunate to have in its holdings a number of other data bases which can potentially be linked to the OPSANAL system in order to conduct a broader base of research on many aspects of the war in Vietnam.

  • As an example of the possible interconnections between separate electronic data files, the TIRSA system could be linked with the Hamlet Evaluation System (HES) (3-349-79-002, 3-330-75-145, and 3-349-79-002) to attempt to correlate the progress in the pacification program to incidents of terrorism within hamlets. In conjunction, the System for Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) Armed Forces (SEER),1969-1971 (3-330-76-044), and the Territorial Forces Activity Reporting System (TFARS), September 1972- December 1975 (3-330-75-149) could be cross referenced with TIRSA to analyze South Vietnamese response to terrorist attacks.

  • The BASFA file may be linked to other data files related to the military operations in Cambodia including the Cambodian Friendly Units Files (FANK),and the Cambodian Incidents File (KHMER).

The Vietnam era provides a view of the sharp contrast of modern society's tentative transition from a textual-based work environment to that embodying electronic form. Because of the software specific format of OPSANAL's NIPS system, the periodic variances between the provided system documentation and actual output, and the purpose-defined lack of deeper description, it is recommended that researchers use other archival sources, along with the electronic records, in order to better comprehend the context of the records. Accordingly, wider interconnectivity can be established with the electronic records of the Vietnam war by examining traditional paper documents.

Related Military Textual Records (Selected)

The textual records of the Vietnam War can provide a wider understanding of the electronic records available. The Textual Archives Services Division has an abundance of finding aids describing the holdings of military textual records which pertain to the Vietnam war. Of particular interest is Record Group 472 which consists of the records from Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV). See the entry for Record Group 472, in the Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States (1995). Record Group 472 has a detailed 37 volume finding aid for the use of researchers. The following record descriptions are but a sampling of those textual records which have direct intellectual or organizational links to their electronic counterparts held at the Center for Electronic Records.

  • Volume 2 describes the Records of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, MACV (J-3), these include after action reports for the years 1965-1971, Southeast Asia ground operations weekly summaries for 1966-1970. These reports are the seed-bed of information which was input into the VNDBA system for analysis. Of additional note, many of these textual files contain photographs providing visual documentation of the situation reports.

  • The Records of the MACV Advisory Teams, after action reports for 1967-1972 in volume 6 can provide valuable corroborating evidence to VCIIA and VNDBA records. Date of action, provincial location, UTM coordinates, and casualty data can provide interrelating links between the two record types.

  • The Textual Archives Services Division has a listing for Military Region 3, daily, weekly and monthly reports on terrorist activity. This is available in the CORDS MR3, Public Safety Division's reports in Volume 5 of the textual finding aids.

  • Volume 3, within the CORDS listings there are the Records of Civil Operations and Rural Development, Support Analysis Division containing such reports as "An Examination of the Viet Cong Reaction to the Vietnamese Strategic Hamlet Program (RM-4028-ARPA), July 1964" which can be directly tied to the BASFA records, those of TIRSA, or HES.

  • The data for the VCIIA, VNDBA and SITRA (Situation Report Army File) databases was brought in from OPREP-4 (brief narrative reports) and OPREP-5 (more detailed weekly summaries) textual reports submitted from operational units to MACV headquarters. If one wished to see the original source data from which these databases were formed one could look at the individual OPREP records themselves, or examine the textual Historical Information Management System (HIMS) on microfilm. The finding aid for these sources of information is MACVJ03, Volume 2.

  • Another valuable resource illustrating the utility of the OPSANAL system is the 12 volume Systems Analysis View of the Vietnam War: 1965-1972. A periodic report published by the Pentagon, it is available to researchers through the reference branch at the Center for Electronic Records. Of particular interest are Volume 3: Viet Cong - North Vietnamese Operations and Volume 4: Allied Ground and Naval Operations which provide directs links and outputs from elements within the OPSANAL system which were used, however indirectly, for executive decision-making regarding the conduct of the war in Southeast Asia.

The Vietnam war is unique to American military culture in the fact that the military alone, without assistance from any other agency, provided the statistical and analytical seed-bed which exclusively influenced decision makers at the highest level of government. In accordance, research could be made examining early State Department studies conducted to investigate the viability of the war in Vietnam. It was the only time that relatively non-biased analysis was given, without the direct input of the Pentagon. On October 22, 1963 Thomas L. Hughes, Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research sent an intelligence analysis, RFE-90, titled "Statistics on the War Effort in South Vietnam Show Unfavorable Trends" to Secretary of State Dean Rusk. This started a heated exchange between the Pentagon and the State Department concerning jurisdiction of studies concerning the conflict in Southeast Asia. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara insisted that the State Department keep clear of analyzing the Vietnam situation as it was beyond their scope of responsibility. Rusk's reply makes clear that the State Department would acquiesce in the military's demand. This gave the Pentagon the overwhelming role in unilaterally producing such analyses, and denied top officials data and appraisals that might call the military's official position into question.

The complete text of the (RFE-90) report can be read in United States - Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967, book 12, pages 579-589. This book, along with surrounding documentation, is available at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library, in the Vice President's Security Files, Government Agencies, Department of State Intelligence Reports. Also, the Textual Archives Services Division has a four volume series titled Foreign Relations of the United States - Vietnam which has a detailed register of State Department communications dealing with the Vietnam War from 1960 through to 1963. Succeeding volumes are in the process of being published.

Contact Information

For more information about the electronic records cited in this report, contact the Center for Electronic Records, Reference Services, National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001; telephone: (301) 837-0470; e-mail: cer@nara.gov.

For more information about the textual records cited in this report, contact the Textual Archives Services Division, National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001; telephone: (301) 837-3510; e-mail: inquire@nara.gov.

CURT CAMPBELL
Archives Intern

July 5, 1996 (revised 2/99, tjh)
Addendum

A description of the NIPS and de-NIPs file formats appears in National Archives Reference Information Paper 90: "American Prisoners of War and Missing in Action from the Vietnam War" (1995). The relevant paragraphs from Part III of that publication (Electronic Records) follows:

III.3 Several of the data files in the Center for Electronic Records were created by the Department of Defense (DoD) using an early data base management system called the National Military Command System Information Processing System 360 Formatted File System, commonly known as NIPS. The data structure of NIPS files is hierarchical in that each data record is composed of fixed, non-repeating data with one level of subordinating data. Each record is of varying length and is usually organized into the following sets of data elements: a Control Set, in which a unique record identifier is found, such as operations report number; a Fixed Set, containing non-repetitive data; and one or more types of Periodic Sets. Each type of Periodic Set may occur one or more times. For instance, a military incident uniquely identified by an operations report number may have more than one result. Therefore, a Periodic Set named "Results" will occur more than one time in that specific record. In addition, NIPS files can include Variable Sets that appear only when data is present. These sets are usually "Comments" data in a free-text field of variable length.

III.4 Some Vietnam-era files were transferred to the National Archives in the software-dependent NIPS format described above. The Center for Electronic Records has preserved a subset of them in their native format while others the Center has "de-NIPS'd," or reformatted to a zoned-decimal, flat-file format in standard IBM code, EBCDIC. The "de-NIPS'd" files are no longer dependent on the NIPS software with which they were created. Instead, as flat files, users can process and manipulate the files using widely-available software applications.

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e-mail: cer@nara.gov

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