According to chapter four in The Perfect War the Kennedy administration was gearing up a new slogan for war mobilization. This was an inter-agency task force titled counterinsurgency. Foreign service officers were attending a mandatory six week course in counterinsurgency. This became a career necessity. New equipment, new methods, new intelligence and new counter-intelligence methods were all part of this new system of limited warfare. Different methods of preparing for war were being adopted among the military's different branches. The air force formed Air Commando squadrons, and the navy created "SEALs", which is a Sea-Air-Land special unit.
"On the military side, however, we have recognized the importance of the area as a laboratory. We have had teams out there looking at the equipment requirements of this kind of guerrilla warfare. We have rotated senior officers through there, spending several weeks just to talk to people and get the feel of the operation."
I believe that quote, taken from The Perfect War, shows how well the United States knew they needed a re-arrangement of military tactics to proove successful in a war which required unique methods. Robert McNamara as the secretary of defense would take a managerial approach to warfare, and soon thereafter, the various branches of the military would adopt this way of thinking. The thought that war could be administered for highly specific ends ( The Perfect War Chapt. 4) is somewhat disturbing to me.