| Operation Pincushion | |
|---|---|
| Part of Operation White Star and Operation Momentum, Laotian Civil War | |
| Type | Covert irregular military training program |
| Location | Southern Laos |
| Planned by | Central Intelligence Agency |
| Objective | Raise an army of native irregular personnel |
| Date | 13 December 1961—10 September 1962 |
| Executed by | Green Berets |
| Outcome | Limited success, 12 companies trained |
Operation Pincushion was a covert training program for hill tribe recruits to become guerrilla soldiers during the Laotian Civil War. Run by United States Special Forces and funded by the Central Intelligence Agency, it trained 12 companies of irregulars in southern Laos between December 1961 and September 1962. These guerrilla forces were near the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and intended to secure the Royal Lao Government's hold on the Bolovens Plateau.
Although copied from the CIA's Operation Momentum, the Green Berets' training program ran with limited success, due to cultural influences in the recruits' backgrounds. The adoption of the International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos in July 1962 doomed Operation Pincushion, as it called for withdrawal of all foreign troops from the Kingdom of Laos by October of the same year. Pincushion training ended 14 September 1962 and the Green Beret trainers then withdrew from Laos.