Search and Destroy,
Seek and Destroy, or even simply
S&D, refers to a
military strategy that became a large component of the
Malayan Emergency and 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.