Night Jungle Operations

This monograph examines the adequacy of current jungle and infantry doctrine in addressing the conduct of night operations in jungle environment. Daytime jungle operations already have much in common with night operations in general due to the limited visibility afforded by the dense vegetation. The degree of difficulty increases dramatically when operating during darkness. Such operations require a thorough understanding of why, when, and how to conduct them. This monograph first examines the night jungle operations conducted during WWII and the Vietnam Conflict to gain a historical perspective of the types of operations conducted in the past as well as their success. It then reviews and analyzes current doctrine for night fighting to determine its applicability to a jungle environment. Next, the monograph contrasts past night jungle operations with current doctrine and concludes that current doctrine does not sufficiently address the conduct of night jungle warfare. Lastly, the monograph offers some recommendations for inclusion to doctrine to address the shortcomings identified.