Search and destroy Search and Destroy , Seek and Destroy , or even simply S & D , refers to a military strategy that became a large component of the Vietnam War . The idea was to insert ground forces into hostile territory , " search " out the enemy , " destroy " them , and withdraw immediately afterward . The strategy was the result of a new technology , the helicopter , which resulted in a new form of warfare , the fielding of " air cavalry " , and was thought to be ideally suited to counter - guerrilla jungle warfare . The complementary conventional strategy , which entailed attacking and conquering an enemy position , then fortifying and holding it indefinitely , was known as " clear and hold " or " clear and secure . " In theory , since the traditional methods of " " taking ground " " could not be used in this war , a war of attrition would be used , eliminating the enemy by the use of " searching " for them , then " destroying " them , and the " " body count " " would be the measuring tool to determine the success of the strategy of " search and destroy . " It is common practice among military forces to enforce strict rules on a search and destroy mission . It became an offensive tool , crucial to General William Westmoreland ’ s second phase . In his three phase strategy , the first consisted of slowing down the Viet Cong Forces ; the second was to resume the offensive and destroy the enemy ; the third was to restore the area under South Vietnamese government control . The Zippo missions were mainly assigned to the second phase around 1966 and 1967 , along with operations “ Clear and Secure . ” Search and destroy missions entailed sending out platoon s , companies , or larger detachments of US troops from a fortified position to locate and destroy Vietcong or NVA units in the countryside . These missions most commonly involved hiking out into the " boonies " and setting an ambush in the brush , near a suspected VC trail . The ambush typically involved the use of fixed Claymore Antipersonnel Mines , crossing lines of small arms fire , mortar support , and possibly additional artillery support called in via radio from a nearby firebase . In February 1967 , some of the largest Zippo missions was operated in the Iron Triangle , located between Saigon and Routes 13 and 25 . The area consisted of a mass centre of Viet Cong logistics and headquarters , with some of the most high - ranking NLF officials stationed there . The offensive began with Operation Junction City , where the American units assigned had destroyed hundreds of tons of rice , killed 720 guerrillas , and captured 213 prisoners . However , the Iron Triangle area ' s defenders was thought to be over 10 , 000 . The offensive failed to destroy the NLF ' s headquarter nor capture any high - ranking officer , therefore having little effect toward Hanoi ' s plan . Both Search and Destroy and Clearing missions stretched into the third phase beginning in 1968 . The number of missions mounted , especially after the U . S . was hit by General Vo Nguyen Giap ’ s Tet offensive attack of 1968 . As the war grew more aggressive , so did the missions , to the point where there was lack of distinction between Search and Destroy , and Clear and Secure operations . Search and destroy missions had many flaws . First , there was lack of distinction between “ clearing ” and search and destroy missions . Thus “ clearing ” missions , which were less aggressive , eventually morphed into a more violent and brutal form of tactic just as search and destroy missions were . With the lack of distinction between “ clearing ” and search and destroy missions , pacification was not pushed . Guenter Lewey , a Professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst , argued that the generals and war planners severely underestimated the enemy ’ s abilities to match and exceed U . S . forces . Large numbers of Viet Cong troops would be killed or captured , but they were quickly replaced . Although enemy forces were initially pushed out of certain territories , as soon as the American forces left the areas , they simply returned with more reinforcements and weapons . The effectiveness of the missions are also doubtful . In one of the first Search and Destroy missions northwest of Dau Tieng , named Operation Attleboro , US report states that 155 U . S . soldiers were killed , while the North Vietnamese lost 1 , 106 . In Operation Junction City , the report also states that 282 U . S . soldiers were killed while the Viet Cong lost 1 , 728 guerrillas . These figures , however , should be considered in light of the methods by which they were obtained . The estimates were almost exclusively gathered by indirect means : sensor readings , sightings of secondary explosions , reports of defectors or POWs , and inference or extrapolation .