Crimes during war: A study of military criminal investigation, managerial control, public policy, and economic crimes affecting Army logistical systems, Republic of Vietnam, 1970-1972

This study uses historical research methodology to record events relating to an Army criminal investigation unit in Vietnam, 1970-72, that was formed to specialize in the investigation of economic crimes in the Vietnam theater of war. In 1970, the Commanding General, 18th Military Police Brigade, U.S. Army, Vietnam (USARV), ordered the brigade's criminal investigation managerial organization, 8th Military Police Group (CI), to form a criminal investigation unit to specialize in the investigation of property crimes affecting USARV's logistical systems. The Army criminal investigation detachment (CID) organization deployed by 8th MP Gp (CI) was not able to make significant progress in the suppression of crimes against property and narcotics trafficking, so the brigade commander, through a group commander, made the decision to form units to specialize in logistics-related crimes, frauds in the club and mess system, and theater-wide narcotics crimes. The logistics crimes investigating team was called the Crime Suppression Team (Logistics), or CST (LOG).;The study summarizes the systemic crimes investigated by the CST (LOG) and provides recollections of the team's managers, of investigators from the team, and of participants in the decision to form the CST (LOG). The findings and conclusions are in the form of "lessons learned" from the CST (LOG) files that may be applicable to future Army overseas deployments requiring a large logistics-support organization.