Operation Menu

Overview

Operation Menu was a covert United States Strategic Air Command (SAC) tactical bombing campaign conducted in eastern Cambodia from 18 March 1969 to 26 May 1970 as part of the Vietnam War. The targets of these attacks were sanctuaries and base areas of the People's Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong (VC), which used them for resupply, training, and resting between campaigns across the border in the Republic of Vietnam. The impact of the bombing campaign on the Khmer Rouge guerrillas, the PAVN, and Cambodian civilians in the bombed areas is disputed by historians.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

Operation Menu was a covert Strategic Air Command bombing campaign targeting People's Army of Vietnam and Viet Cong sanctuaries in eastern Cambodia, running from March 1969 to May 1970. The sanctuaries served as resupply, training, and rest areas used between campaigns across the border in South Vietnam, making them a persistent operational concern for U.S. planners. The campaign's secrecy placed it outside public and congressional scrutiny at the time. Historians dispute its impact on PAVN and Viet Cong operational capacity, on Khmer Rouge guerrillas, and on Cambodian civilians in the affected areas, leaving its net effect on the broader war contested.