force's primary task was to maintain internal security, but also
             acted as a counter weight to the army, whose officers often had
             political ambitions that were sometimes incompatible with those of
             Diem. From the beginning, such tensions weakened the Saigon
             government and severly hampered its ability to deal with South
             Vietnam's social and ecenomic problems.
             At the beginning of 1968 the military strength of the Saigon
             government was, on paper, impressive. The regular armed forces
             consisted of about 250,000 men, organised into a conventional army,
             navy, air force, and marine corps, well equipped with tanks,
             artillary, ships and aircraft, Behind the regul
             ...