Phoenix Program

The Phoenix Program is a program designed, coordinated, and executed by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), United States special operations forces, special forces operatives from the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV), and the Republic of Vietnam's (South Vietnam) security apparatus during the Vietnam War.The Program is designed to identify and "neutralize" (via infiltration, capture, terrorism, torture, and assassination) the infrastructure of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (NLF or Viet Cong).

Historian Douglas Valentine states that "Central to Phoenix is the fact that it targeted civilians, not soldiers".

The major two components of the program are Provincial Reconnaissance Units (PRUs) and regional interrogation centers.

PRUs kill and capture suspected VC.

They also capture civilians who are thought to have information on VC activities.

Many of these civilians are then taken to the interrogation centers where some are tortured in an attempt to gain intelligence on VC activities in the area.

The information extracted at the centers is then given to military commanders, who use it to task the PRU with further capture and assassination missions The program is in operation between 1965 and 1972, and similar efforts existed both before and after that period.

By 1972, Phoenix operatives have "neutralized" 81,740 suspected NLF operatives, informants and supporters, of whom 26,369 have been killed.

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