The American Military Assistance Advisory Group for South Vietnam (MAAG) was formed on 1 November 1955 to assist in the training of conventional armed forces of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and facilitate military aid. Although numerous MAAGs operated around the world throughout the 1940s–1970s, the most famous MAAGs were those active in Southeast Asia (South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) before and during the Second Indochina War (1955-1975). Typically, the personnel of MAAGs were considered to be technical staff attached to, and enjoying the privileges of, the US diplomatic mission in a country. The date of its formation is also generally referred to as the beginning of America’s official involvement in Vietnam and the start of the Second Indochina War (1955-1975).
