THAI FORWARD AIR GUIDES IN LAOS DURING THE SECOND INDOCHINA WAR

Abstract

This research is centered on Thai civilians who volunteered to fight in Laos as Forward Air Guides (FAGs) in support of Thai, Lao and U.S. forces in the Laotian Civil War (1953-75), a key battleground of the Second Indochina War. FAGs were U.S. military-trained contract employees of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who coordinated military operations in support of Thai and allied forces in Laos. FAG’s primary duties were to coordinate U.S. reconnaissance and strike aircraft, and liaison between the Thai military and CIA. Their role in modern warfare was unique, an anomaly never seen before nor after. My objectives are to better understand Thailand's activities in combating communist forces in peninsular Southeast Asia by documenting and analyzing FAG participation. I argue Thai FAGs played a significant role in support of Thai, Lao and American forces, greatly enhancing the forces’ ability to fight. FAGs occupied an instructive vantage point in Thailand’s largest military expeditionary effort in modern times and thus are positioned to provide an exclusive glimpse into the conflict.