Commander Naval Forces Vietnam

• Establishment: Commander Naval Forces Vietnam (COMNAVFORV) was established on 1 April 1966, consolidating U.S. Navy operations in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. • "Brown Water Navy": COMNAVFORV oversaw the so-called "Brown Water Navy," which operated river patrol boats, Swift Boats, and other craft in the Mekong Delta and inland waterways—a unique naval environment. • Operation Market Time: One of its primary missions was Operation Market Time, an extensive coastal interdiction campaign to prevent North Vietnamese supplies from reaching the South by sea. • Riverine Warfare Innovation: COMNAVFORV was central to the development of modern riverine warfare tactics, blending naval and ground operations in challenging terrain. • Mobile Riverine Force: COMNAVFORV worked closely with the U.S. Army to create the Mobile Riverine Force, a joint Army-Navy task force that conducted search-and-destroy missions in the Delta. • Vietnamization: As part of the Vietnamization policy, COMNAVFORV played a key role in training and equipping the Republic of Vietnam Navy, ultimately transferring hundreds of vessels by 1972. • Headquarters Location: The headquarters was located at Camp Tien Sha in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), making it a central hub for U.S. naval operations in Southeast Asia. • Naval Advisors: COMNAVFORV included the Naval Advisory Group, which embedded U.S. advisors with South Vietnamese naval units to improve their effectiveness. • Notable Commander: Vice Admiral Elmo Zumwalt Jr., one of its most famous commanders, later became Chief of Naval Operations and implemented significant reforms in the U.S. Navy. • Disestablishment: COMNAVFORV was officially disestablished on 29 April 1973, as American involvement in Vietnam ended and the U.S. withdrew its combat forces.