# List of allied military operations of the Vietnam War (1965)

This article is a list of known military operations of the Vietnam War in 1965, conducted by the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam, the United States and their allies.
| Date duration | Operation name | Unit(s) – description | Location | VC–PAVN KIAs | Allied KIAs |
| 1965–72 | Operation Footboy | MACVSOG covert operations in North Vietnam and North Vietnamese waters for the purpose of collecting intelligence, conducting psychological warfare operations, and other activities to create dissension among the populace, and for diversion of North Vietnamese resources | North Vietnam | | |
| Jan 5 | Unnamed$^{:111}$ | Six-company CIDG and Special Forces A-114 and A-411 Detachments operation | Tây Ninh Province | | |
| Feb 7–24 | Operation Flaming Dart | Phase I (February 7): USAF reprisal bombing attacks against PAVN units and military barracks near Đồng Hới and the Demilitarized Zone. Phase II (February 11): USAF and RVNAF strike the Chanh Hoa and Vit Thu Lu barracks, respectively, in North Vietnam. | Đồng Hới, Demilitarized Zone, Chanh Hoa and Vit Thu Lu | | 8 |
| Mar 2 – Nov 1 1968 | Operation Rolling Thunder | USAF, U.S. Navy and RVNAF sustained and escalating bombing campaign of North Vietnam to destroy military infrastructure, interdict supply routes and undermine the North's willingness to continue the war | North Vietnam | 20,000 est. | 835 |
| Mar 11 – 1972 | Operation Market Time | Combined U.S. Navy and South Vietnamese Navy effort to stop the flow of supplies from North Vietnam into South Vietnam | South China Sea | | |
| Mar 31 | Operation Quyet Thang 512$^{:17–8}$ | ARVN 5th Airborne Battalion, MAG-16, HMM-163 and HMM-162 air assault | near Tam Ky 40 km south of Da Nang, Quảng Tín Province | | 2 US |
| Apr 3 – Nov 11 1968 | Operation Steel Tiger$^{:287}$ (part of Operation Barrell Roll) | U.S. 2nd Air Division aerial interdiction effort targeted against the infiltration of NVA men and material moving south from North Vietnam | southeastern Laos | | |
| May 31 – Jun 3 | Unnamed$^{:17}$ | 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team first brigade sized operation in Vietnam, a series of airmobile assaults | near Bien Hoa, Biên Hòa Province | 7 | |
| Jun 18 – Aug 15 1973 | Operation Arc Light | B-52 Stratofortress bombing campaign against communist base areas | throughout South Vietnam | | |
| Jun 27–30 | Unnamed$^{:2}$ | 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team first major offensive action by launching an operation, along with ARVN airborne units and 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, into War Zone "D", about 32 km northeast of Saigon | Long Khánh Province | | |
| Jul 6–9 | Operation 17-65 | 173rd Airborne Brigade operation | Phước Thành Province | | |
| Jul 6–10 | Unnamed$^{:3}$ | 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and ARVN 43rd Regiment operation involving multiple air assaults into War Zone "D" just north of the Đồng Nai River | Long Khánh Province | | |
| Jul 8 – Aug 19 | Operation Than Phong II | ARVN II Corps operation to reopen Route 19 | | | 349 |
| Jul 28 | Operation Lien Ket 4 | 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, ARVN 51st Regiment and VNMC 3rd Battalion first combined land operation in the war | | | |
| Jul 28 – Aug 2 | Operation 19-65 | 173rd Airborne Brigade and 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment operation to disrupt VC movement from the Rung Sat Special Zone into Phước Tuy Province | Phước Tuy Province | | |
| Aug 2 -3 | Operation Blast Out$^{:62–4}$ | 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines and ARVN 4th Regiment first search and clear operation in Cam Ne village. The operation was filmed by a CBS news crew who showed the Marines setting fire to Vietnamese huts with their Zippo lighters | 16 km southwest of Da Nang, Quảng Nam Province | 7 | |
| Aug 3 | Operation Dan Thang 5 | 52nd Aviation Battalion operation to lift 1,150 troops in six lifts from Camp Holloway to Duc Co airfield during the Siege of Duc Co | Pleiku Province | | |
| Aug 4–5 | Operation Marble Mountain | USMC search and destroy operation | I Corps | | |
| Aug 6–7 | Operation Thunderbolt$^{:69}$ | 4th Marines and ARVN 51st Regiment joint search and destroy operation against the 1st VC Regiment | south of the Tra Bong River | | |
| Aug 7–11 | Operation Frag Order 12-65 | 173rd Airborne Brigade and 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment search and destroy operation | Phước Thành Province | | |
| Aug 7–11 | Operation Frag Order 15-65 | 173rd Airborne Brigade and 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment search and destroy operation | Biên Hòa Province | | |
| Aug 10–11 | Operation Binh Dinh | USMC search and destroy operation | II Corps | | |
| Aug 10–21 | Unnamed | 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division operation | southwest of Nha Trang | | |
| Aug 11 – Sep 8 | Operation Barracuda | 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, the newly arrived 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division and 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry search and destroy operation | 19 km west of Nha Trang, Khánh Hòa Province | 25 | |
| Aug 12 | Operation Midnight$^{:4}$ | 3rd Marines search and destroy mission | Elephant Valley, about 16 km northwest of Da Nang, Quảng Nam Province | 2 | |
| Aug 16–17 | Operation Anvil | Search and destroy operation | III Corps | | |
| Aug 17–24 | Operation Starlite/Operation Starlight$^{:69–83}$ | 2nd Battalion 4th Marines, 3rd Battalion 4th Marines, 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines and 3rd Battalion 7th Marines operation | Van Tuong peninsula (south of Chu Lai), Quảng Trị Province | 700 | 242 |
| Aug 19–22 | Operation Cutlass | 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division and 5th Special Forces Group search and destroy operation | south of Nha Trang | | |
| Aug 25 – Oct 1 | Operation Highland | 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division and 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines route security operation to open Route 19 between Qui Nhơn and An Khe for debarkation and deployment of the 1st Cavalry Division | Bình Định Province | 692 | 21 |
| Aug 25 – Sep 10 | Operation Quin Thang 165 | ARVN road clearing operation. 21st TASS FACs from Qui Nhơn directed fifty A-1E strikes, four F-100 strikes and one B-57 strike, against constant ground fire, ambushes and automatic weapons fire for sixteen days. | | | |
| Aug 28 – Sep 3 | Operation Than Phong III | ARVN II Corps operation to open Route 21 to Ban Me Thuot from Nha Trang. One hundred and thirteen air strikes were conducted by the USAF, Navy and Marines. | Route 21 | | |
| Sep 1 | Operation Talon$^{:42}$ | 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne operation | An Khe Pass, Bình Định Province | | |
| Sep 1 | Unnamed$^{:16}$ | 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry and supporting elements operation | near Kon Tum, Kon Tum Province | | |
| Sep 4 | Operation Venture$^{:42}$ | 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne operation | An Khe area, Bình Định Province | | |
| Sep 5–7 | Operation Stomp$^{:88–91}$ | 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines search and destroy operation | Ky Son Mountains, 16 km north of Qui Nhơn, Bình Định Province | 26 | |
| Sep 6–9 | Operation Tam Thang 118 | ARVN II Corps operation | near Ban Me Thout | | |
| Sep 7 | Operation Bayonet$^{:42}$ | 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne operation as part of Operation Highland | An Khe area, Bình Định Province | | |
| Sep 7–10 | Operation Piranha$^{:84–8}$ | BLT 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines and 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines and ARVN 2d Battalion, 4th Regiment and 3rd Vietnamese Marine Battalion operations on the Batangan Peninsula and An Ky Peninsula aimed at the remnants of the 1st VC Regiment and to counter seaborne infiltration | Batangan and An Ky Peninsulas | 183 | 2 Marines, 5 ARVN |
| Sep 7 - Oct 8 | Operation BIG RED | 173rd Airborne Brigade, 1st Battalion, 1RAR, Search & Destroy Operation, in Ben Cat, Phuoc Vinh, Di An, Phu Loc | | | |
| Sep 9 | Operation Cacti$^{:42}$ | 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne operation as part of Operation Highland | An Khe area, Bình Định Province | | |
| Sep 10 | Operation Than Phong IV | ARVN II Corps operation | near Qui Nhơn | | |
| Sep 10–11 | Operation Cold Steel | US search and destroy operation | II Corps | | |
| Sep 13–14 | Operation Cactus | US search and destroy operation | II Corps | | |
| Sep 14–28 | Unnamed$^{:16}$ | 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team search and destroy operation | Ben Cat, Biên Hòa Province | 46 | |
| Sep 14–28 | Operation 24-65 | 173rd Airborne Brigade and 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Sep 18–22 | Operation Gibraltar | 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, 1st Cavalry Division and ARVN operation | Qui Nhơn | | |
| Sep 21 – 1968 | Operation Shining Brass$^{:230}$ | A series of cross-border reconnaissance and intelligence operations conducted by mixed Special Forces and Montagnard teams to counter PAVN infiltration through Laos into South Vietnam, perform bomb damage assessment, and control airstrikes. Shining Brass was renamed Prairie Fire in 1968 and finally Phu Dung on 8 April 1971 | eastern Laos | | |
| Sep 22 – Oct 19 | Operation Good Friend | 2nd Battalion, 502nd Airborne Infantry Regiment relief of 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment at Cam Ranh Bay and securing the area for the arrival of the ROK 2nd Marine Brigade | Cam Ranh Bay | | |
| Sep 26–27 | Operation Hard Rock | USMC search and destroy operation | I Corps | | |
| Sep 28 – Nov 13 | Operation Sayonara | 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division and 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines area and route security operation to cover the deployment of the ROK Capital Division | Qui Nhơn, Bình Định Province | | |
| Sep 29 – Oct 25 | Operation Red One | 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment search and destroy and area security operation | Biên Hòa Province | | |
| Oct | Operation Phu Yen 7 | ARVN rice harvest operation | near Tuy Hòa | | |
| Oct | Operation Spread Out | 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines search and destroy operation | Vân Canh Valley, Bình Định Province | | |
| Oct 1 | Operation Checkerboard I | 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Oct 1–9 | Operation Blue Bonnet | 3/1 Cavalry security operation | Route 19, Bình Định Province | | |
| Oct 1 – Nov 13 | Operation Good Friend II | 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, 1st Cavalry Division, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines and ARVN 22nd Division operation in the vicinity of Qui Nhơn to secure the area for the arrival of the ROK Capital Division | Qui Nhơn | | |
| Oct 2–4 | Operation Quick Draw | 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines search and destroy operation | Quảng Ngãi Province | | |
| Oct 4–6 | Operation Xray I | 173rd Airborne Brigade search and destroy operation | Biên Hòa Province | | |
| Oct 4–25 | Operation Hopscotch | 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division search and destroy and security operation | Biên Hòa and Bình Dương Provinces | 12 | |
| Oct 8–14 | Operation Iron Triangle | 1st and 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Regiment and 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment search and destroy operation following one of the first B-52 strikes of the war | Iron Triangle, Bình Dương Province | | 8 |
| Oct 9 – Nov 1 | Operation Cobra | 2/1 Cavalry security operation along Route 19 | Bình Định Province | | |
| Oct 10–14 | Operation Concord | 3/1 Cavalry search and destroy operation | Bình Định Province | | |
| Oct 10–12 | Operation Shiny Bayonet | 1st Cavalry Division and Republic of Vietnam Marine Corps operation in the Saui Ca River to trap elements of the PAVN 325th Division | near An Khe, Bình Định Province | | |
| Oct 10–31 | Operation Happy Valley | 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment pacification operation | "Happy Valley" in Bình Định Province | | |
| Oct 13 | Operation Black Lion | 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Oct 14 | Operation Checkmate | 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Oct 14–17 | Operation Lonesome End | 1/1 Cavalry route and area security operation | Bình Định Province | | |
| Oct 15 | Operation Flip Flop | 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment search and destroy and security operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Oct 16 | Operation Depth | 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Oct 16 | Operation Fly Low | 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Oct 16 – Nov 1 | Operation Settlement | 2/1 Cavalry security operation on Route 19 | Bình Định Province | | |
| Oct 17 | Operation Bushmaster Bravo | 3rd Brigade 1st Infantry Division search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Oct 18–19 | Operation Triple Play | 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines search and destroy operation | Quảng Tín Province | | |
| Oct 18–24 | Operation Trail Blazer | 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion reconnaissance operation | Quảng Nam Province | | |
| Oct 18–24 | Operation Trail Boss | 2/1 Cavalry search and destroy operation | | | |
| Oct 19 | Operation Hot Foot | 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Oct 19 | Operation Ranger I | 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Oct 20 – Nov 7 | Operation Indian Scout | 1/1 Cavalry security operation for the movement of the ROK Capital Division into its Tactical Area of Responsibility | Bình Định Province | | |
| Oct 21–27 | Operation New One | 173rd Airborne Brigade clear and secure operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Oct 21–29 | Operation Dan Thang 21 | 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment operation | Pleiku Province | 317 | 11 |
| Oct 22–25 | Operation Red Snapper$^{:91–2}$ | 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines and 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines and two ARVN Battalions, one ARVN Ranger Battalion, and four Regional Force/Popular Force companies operation | Phu Gia Peninsula 36 km north of Da Nang | 7 | |
| Oct 23–26 | Operation 27-65 | 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment search and destroy operation | Biên Hòa Province | | |
| Oct 23 – Nov 20 | Operation Silver Bayonet | 1st Cavalry Division and a large ARVN force combined operation to seek out and destroy the NVA 320th, 33rd, and 66th regiments concentrated in western Pleiku | Ia Drang Valley, Pleiku Province | 1,771 | 240 |
| Oct 24 | Operation Revenger | 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Oct 24 – Nov 26 | Operation All the Way | 1/1 Cavalry operation | near Pleiku | | |
| Oct 24 – Nov 26 | Operation Long Reach | 1/1 Cavalry (Operation All The Way), 2/1 Cavalry (Operation Silver Bayonet II) and 3/1 Cavalry (Operation Silver Bayonet I) search and destroy operation and relief of Plei Me CIDG camp | Pleiku Province | | |
| Oct 26 | Operation Big Horn | 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Oct 27 | Operation Drum Head | 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines search and destroy operation | Quảng Ngãi Province | | |
| Oct 28–29 | Operation Triple Trouble | 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Oct 29–31 | Operation Lien Ket 10$^{:92}$ | 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines and 3rd Battalion, 6th Regiment ARVN 2nd Division operation against the VC Do Xa base area | 20 km west of Chu Lai | | |
| Nov 1 | Operation Binder I | 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Nov 1–2 | Operation Quyet Thang 172 | ARVN 22nd Division, 1st Aviation Battalion, 52nd Aviation Battalion, 119th Aviation and the Marine Helicopter Squadron from Qui Nhơn operation to secure the rice rich Tuy Hòa Valley | Phú Yên Province | | |
| Nov 1–20 | Operation Custer Flats | 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Biên Hòa Province | | |
| Nov 1 – Dec 8 | Operation Viper I | 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment and 1st and 2nd Battalions, 18th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Biên Hòa Province | 18 | |
| Nov 1 – Jan 17 1966 | Operation Dagger One | 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment and 1st and 2nd Battalions, 18th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Biên Hòa Province | | |
| Nov 2 | Operation Binder II | 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Nov 3–5 | Operation Black Ferret$^{:93–6}$ | 1st Battalion, 7th Marines and 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines and 4th Regiment ARVN 2nd Division search and destroy operation. Correspondent Dickey Chapelle was killed by a mine booby-trap on this operation. | 16 km south of Chu Lai, Quảng Ngãi Province | 2 | 1 Marine, 1 correspondent |
| Nov 3–8 | Operation Copperhead | 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Biên Hòa and Long Khánh Provinces | | |
| Nov 5–9 | Operation Hump | 173rd Airborne Brigade and 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment operation | northwest Biên Hòa Province | 416 | 48 US 2 Australian |
| Nov 7 | Operation Binder III | 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Nov 7–10 | Operation Blue Marlin$^{:96–7}$ | BLT 2nd Battalion 7th Marines, 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines, VNMC amphibious operation | near Tam Ky, Quảng Tín Province | 25 | 2 |
| Nov 8 | Operation Binder IV | 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division and 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Nov 8–14 | Operation Lightning | ROK 2nd Marine Brigade operation | Khánh Hòa Province | | |
| Nov 10–13 | Operation Hop Out | 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment search and destroy operation | | | |
| Nov 10–15 | Operation Road Runner | 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division road clearing and security operation along Route 13 | north of Bến Cát District, Bình Dương Province | | |
| Nov 14–15 | Operation Corn | 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Định Province | | |
| Nov 14–22 | Operation Bushmaster I | 3rd Brigade 1st Infantry Division search and destroy operation | south of the Michelin Rubber Plantation, Bình Dương Province | 245 | |
| Nov 15 | Operation New Life$^{:17}$ | 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division and 10th Division rice harvest security | Bien Hoa and Binh Tuy Provinces | | |
| Nov 15–16 | Operation Docket I | 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Nov 16–19 | Operation Blue Marlin II$^{:96–7}$ | BLT 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines amphibious operation tying in with two ARVN Ranger Battalions | 35 km south of Da Nang | 25 | 2 ARVN |
| Nov 18 | Operation Road Runner II | 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division security operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Nov 20 | Operation Road Runner III | 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division security operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Nov 20–26 | Operation Silver Bayonet II | 2/1 Cavalry search and destroy operation | Plei Me, Pleiku Province | | |
| Nov 22 | Operation Road Runner IV | 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division security operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Nov 22–24 | Operation Song Ve 6 | 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 3rd VNMC Battalion and ARVN 11th and 37th Ranger Battalions operation | Quảng Ngãi Province | | |
| Nov 22–25 | Operation Turkey Shoot | 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Nov 27 | Operation Rabbit Hunt | 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Nov 28 – Dec 9 | Operation Bushmaster II | 3rd Brigade 1st Infantry Division search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | 318 | 44 |
| Nov 28 – Dec 16 | Operation Checkerboard II | 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division search and destroy operation | | | |
| Nov 30 – Dec 1 | Operation Riviera | 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Dec 3–7 | Operation Ox Trail | 2/1 Cavalry and 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Định Province | | |
| Dec 6 | Operation Give Up | 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment reconnaissance operation | Bình Định Province | | |
| Dec 6 | Operation Gladiator | 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Dec 6–9 | Operation Charger Sweep | 1/1 Cavalry search and destroy operation | Quảng Trị Province | | |
| Dec 7–18 | Operation Feline | 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Dec 8 – Nov 11 1968 | Operation Tiger Hound$^{:287}$ | U.S. 2nd Air Division operation to interdict the Ho Chi Minh Trail in the lower portion of the Laotian panhandle, from Route 9 west of the DMZ, south to the Cambodian border and to reduce North Vietnamese infiltration down the trail into South Vietnam | Southeastern Laos | | |
| Dec 9–15 | Operation Sweeping Mustang | 1/1 Cavalry search and destroy operation | II Corps | | |
| Dec 9–16 | Operation Bushmaster III | 1st Brigade 101st Airborne Division search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Dec 9–20 | Operation Harvest Moon$^{:101–11}$ | 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, L and E Companies 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, and G Company 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines and 3rd Battalion, 1st ARVN Regiment, 1st Battalion, 5th ARVN Regiment, 1st Battalion, 6th ARVN Regiment and ARVN 11th Ranger Battalion operation | 37 km NW of Chu Lai in Phuoc Ha and Que Son Valley's, Quảng Tín Province | 408 | 45 US 90 ARVN |
| Dec 9–20 | Operation Lien Ket 18$^{:103}$ | ARVN participation in Operation Harvest Moon | Thang Binh, Quảng Tín Province | 75 | 11 |
| Dec 10–14 | Operation Fish Hook I | 2/1 Cavalry search and destroy operation | Bình Định Province | | |
| Dec 10–22 | Operation Quick Kick | 1/1 Cavalry security operation | Pleiku and Kon Tum Provinces | | |
| Dec 11 | Operation Frisk I | 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Dec 14–16 | Operation Fish Hook II | 2/1 Cavalry search and destroy operation | Bình Định Province | | |
| Dec 14 – Jan 17 1966 | Operation Viper II | 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | Biên Hòa Province | 18 | |
| Dec 16–19 | Operation Clean House I | 3/1 Cavalry search and destroy operation | Bình Định Province | 1,400 | |
| Dec 17 | Operation Frisk II | 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment reconnaissance operation | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Dec 17 | Operation Fulton | 1st Cavalry Division search and destroy operation | Khánh Hòa, Tuyen Doc and Ninh Thuận Provinces | | |
| Dec 17–20 | Operation Scalping Mustang | 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment search and destroy operation | Bình Định Province | | |
| Dec 17–21 | Operation Beaver I | 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division road clearing and security operation | III Corps | | |
| Dec 17–22 | Operation Smash$^{:17}$ | 173rd Airborne Brigade and 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division search and destroy operation | Courtenay Rubber Plantation, Biên Hòa Province | 73 | |
| Dec 18 – 1972 | Operation Game Warden | U.S. riverine patrol operation to deny Viet Cong access to the resources in the Mekong Delta | Mekong Delta | 1000 | 39 |
| Dec 19–20 | Operation Jingle Bells | 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment search and destroy operation | III Corps | | |
| Dec 19–22 | Operation Clean House II | 3/1 Cavalry search and destroy operation | Bình Định Province | | |
| Dec 23–26 | Operation Cherokee Trail | 1/1 Cavalry road security operation along Route 19 | Bình Định, Kon Tum and Pleiku Provinces | | |
| Dec 23 – Jan 23 66 | Operation Blue Light | 60th and 61st Military Airlift Wings airlift of the 25th Infantry Division from Hawaii to Pleiku | Pleiku | | |
| Dec 27 | Operation Hoa Xuan | 1st Battalion, 4th Marines search and destroy operation | Hoa Xuan island | | |
| Dec 27–31 | Operation Clean House III | 3/1 Cavalry search and destroy operation | Bình Định Province | | |
| Dec 28–30 | Operation Take Out | 2nd Battalion, 327th Airborne Infantry Regiment recovery of US remains from a crashed AC-47 Spooky serial number 43-49492 | Bình Thuận Province | | |
| Dec 31 | Operation Rebel Rouser | 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division road clearing and security operation on Route 13 | Bình Dương Province | | |
| Dec 31 – Jan 13 1966 | Operation Matador I | 2/1 Cavalry security and defence operation | Bình Định, Kon Tum and Pleiku Provinces | | |