On March 22, 1965, the United States government made an official announcement that would send shockwaves around the globe: its military forces had deployed tear gas and herbicides as chemical weapons against Vietcong combatants in the Vietnam War. This admission marked a turning point in the conflict, igniting profound ethical debates as America openly acknowledged its use of chemical warfare.
To flush enemy fighters out of underground hideouts, US forces turned to tear gas, while Agent Orange — a powerful herbicide — was sprayed across vast stretches of jungle to strip away the vegetation cover that Vietcong forces relied upon. Though tear gas carried a classification as nonlethal, wielding it as an instrument of warfare produced consequences that were both severe and enduring. The herbicides proved equally devastating, inflicting massive environmental harm alongside chronic health problems that plagued military personnel and Vietnamese residents alike. American forces held the belief that chemical weapons were essential for gaining strategic military superiority on the Vietnamese battlefields, where jungle tactics dominated. Yet the use of these chemical agents — herbicides in particular — drew fierce condemnations from anti-war activists, scientists, and people across the world.
Both within the United States and on the international stage, the confirmation of chemical warfare fueled mounting opposition to the war effort. Critics lashed out at the practice, condemning it as inhumane and ecologically destructive. In time, Agent Orange spraying came to symbolize the broader devastation of the war, particularly after scientists uncovered its links to grave health conditions affecting Vietnamese civilians, American veterans, and even their children.
Far-reaching conversations about the ethics of warfare and the lasting consequences of deploying chemical agents in military engagements followed the announcement. The moral complexities surrounding Vietnam War operations were laid bare by this admission, which ultimately eroded American public support for continued US military involvement in the conflict.
The use of chemical weapons during the Vietnam conflict stands as a defining chapter — one that brought catastrophic health consequences and irreversible environmental destruction. Even decades after the war's end, Agent Orange cleanup efforts and compensation programs for those affected continue to this day.