--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: McNamara’s electronic fence, which the…" description: "\"“McNamara’s electronic fence, which the Jasons called an “anti-infiltration barrier,” was constructed along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, at a cost of $1.8 bi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/annie-jacobsen-9277_vietnam_mcnamara-s-electronic-fence-which-the-ja_3043711.jpg" --- # McNamara’s electronic fence, which the Jasons called an… ![“McNamara’s electronic fence, which the Jasons called an “anti-infiltration barrier,” was constructed along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, at a cost of $1.8 billion, roughly $12 billion in 2015. It had very little effect on the outcome of the Vietnam War and did not help the United States achieve its aim…” quote by Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/annie-jacobsen-9277_vietnam_mcnamara-s-electronic-fence-which-the-ja_3043711.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/annie-jacobsen-9277_vietnam_mcnamara-s-electronic-fence-which-the-ja_3043711.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/annie-jacobsen-9277_vietnam_mcnamara-s-electronic-fence-which-the-ja_3043711.jpg) > ““McNamara’s electronic fence, which the Jasons called an “anti-infiltration barrier,” was constructed along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, at a cost of $1.8 billion, roughly $12 billion in 2015. It had very little effect on the outcome of the Vietnam War and did not help the United States achieve its aim of cutting off enemy supplies.”” [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The massive, costly electronic barrier on the Ho Chi Minh Trail failed to stop enemy supplies, showing that high‑tech solutions don’t guarantee strategic success. **In simple terms:** Expensive tech can be ineffective in war. Key Takeaway Don’t rely solely on technology for critical goals. Themes military strategy technology cost effectiveness Mood critical analytical Type historical strategic When to use this quote - military planning - budget allocation - defense procurement - policy making Key Concepts systems engineering strategic planning Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders balance tech investment with realistic expectations? - What alternative strategies could complement technology? A Different Perspective High costs don’t ensure desired outcomes; other factors matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam/) [Vietnam war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam-war/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“Getting through the intersection involves tracing paths through the parking system, many braided filaments of direction like the Ho Chi Minh trail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/getting-through-the-intersection-involves-tracing-paths-through-the/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“The ultimate barrier against love is the barrier of the constructed self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/the-ultimate-barrier-against-love-is-the-barrier-of-the-constructed/) [Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/) > [For the most part Ho Chi Minh City is safe but like any large city you need to pay attention to what's going on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-rice/for-the-most-part-ho-chi-minh-city-is-safe-but-like-any-large-city/) [Doug Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-rice/) > [ \[Dissidents\] groups would benefit enormously from learning about Ho Chi Minh's ideas on how to defeat a more popular enemy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-duiker/dissidents-groups-would-benefit-enormously-from-learning-about-ho-chi/) [William J. Duiker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-duiker/) > [ I'm always hearing warnings about keeping your belongings close to you \[in Ho Chi Minh City\] as thieves who ride motorbikes are adept at… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-rice/i-m-always-hearing-warnings-about-keeping-your-belongings-close-to/) [Doug Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-rice/) > [ Some 30 years later I found myself back here again \[in Vietnam\] on what was to be a short visit that lasted months, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-rice/some-30-years-later-i-found-myself-back-here-again-in-vietnam-on-what/) [Doug Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-rice/) > [Vast quantities of U.S. bombers, tanks and guns have been sent against Ho Chi Minh and his freedom-fighters; and now we are told that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-robeson/vast-quantities-of-u-s-bombers-tanks-and-guns-have-been-sent-against/) [Paul Robeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-robeson/) > [ From the outset, when \[Ho Chi Minh\] became a member of the French Communist Party in 1920, he was an independent thinker who adjusted… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-duiker/from-the-outset-when-ho-chi-minh-became-a-member-of-the-french/) [William J. 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Duiker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-duiker/) > [Heads of state are notoriously ill prepared for their mature careers; think of Adolf Hitler (landscape painter), Ho Chi Minh (seaman), and our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/heads-of-state-are-notoriously-ill-prepared-for-their-mature-careers/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Why Ho Chi Minh City? It is crowded, noisy, scruffy, crazy, but always interesting and things are happening all at a break neck speed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-rice/why-ho-chi-minh-city-it-is-crowded-noisy-scruffy-crazy-but-always/) [Doug Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-rice/) > [There were various aspects of Sun Tzu's approach that appealed to Ho Chi Minh: a) to learn to understand both the enemy and yourself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-duiker/there-were-various-aspects-of-sun-tzu-s-approach-that-appealed-to-ho/) [William J. Duiker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-duiker/) > [I had been a guerrilla leader in World War II. And I used to say that the way to fight the guerrilla was with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-hilsman/i-had-been-a-guerrilla-leader-in-world-war-ii-and-i-used-to-say-that/) [Roger Hilsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-hilsman/) > [ In the end, many of his more militant colleagues began to feel that \[Ho Chi Minh's\] tendency to compromise, and his reluctance to confront… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-duiker/in-the-end-many-of-his-more-militant-colleagues-began-to-feel-that-ho/) [William J. Duiker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-duiker/) ## More by Annie Jacobsen > [Anyone who's read my 'Terror in the Skies' series knows that I have not been writing with an eye toward approval from any government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/anyone-who-s-read-my-terror-in-the-skies-series-knows-that-i-have-not/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“Over the next five years, DARPA’s biohybrid programs advanced at an astonishing pace. Microprocessor technology was doubling in capacity every eighteen months. By June…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/over-the-next-five-years-darpa-s-biohybrid-programs-advanced-at-an/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [The activities that went on at Camp King between 1946 and the late 1950s have never been fully accounted for by either the Department…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-activities-that-went-on-at-camp-king-between-1946-and-the-late/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“By the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Eisenhower’s test ban had failed, and the United States and the Soviet Union had both returned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/by-the-time-of-the-cuban-missile-crisis-eisenhower-s-test-ban-had/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“By contrast, Dresher and Flood found that the minority of game players who refused to testify against their criminal partner were almost always of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/by-contrast-dresher-and-flood-found-that-the-minority-of-game-players/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“To address strength and endurance issues, Goldblatt initiated a program called the Mechanically Dominant Soldier. What if soldiers could have ten times the muscle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/to-address-strength-and-endurance-issues-goldblatt-initiated-a/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [The area out at Area 51 that was part of the Operation Plumbbob test continues to be contaminated. It was not cleaned up until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-area-out-at-area-51-that-was-part-of-the-operation-plumbbob-test/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [I'm not an aviation historian, I'm not an Air Force aficionado, and I'm definitely not a ufologist. I'm not someone who studies UFOs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/i-m-not-an-aviation-historian-i-m-not-an-air-force-aficionado-and-i-m/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [Back in the 1950s, there was a top-secret program code-named SUNTAN being conducted at a top-secret facility called Skunk Works. Its objective? To develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/back-in-the-1950s-there-was-a-top-secret-program-code-named-suntan/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [In the winter of 1973, the American POWs held captive in Vietnam were released according to the terms of the Paris Peace Accords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/in-the-winter-of-1973-the-american-pows-held-captive-in-vietnam-were/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [I examined a lot of CIA declassified UFO files, which are fascinating, because there was a huge UFO craze going on in America. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/i-examined-a-lot-of-cia-declassified-ufo-files-which-are-fascinating/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [You can absolutely drive through an atmospheric bomb test and not be affected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/you-can-absolutely-drive-through-an-atmospheric-bomb-test-and-not-be/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“The war in Europe was over. Germans called it die Stunde Null, zero hour. Cities lay in ruins. Allied bombing had destroyed more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-war-in-europe-was-over-germans-called-it-die-stunde-null-zero/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“Poindexter’s background was in submarines, and there was an analogy here, he told Tether. Submarines emit sound signals as they move through the sea.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/poindexter-s-background-was-in-submarines-and-there-was-an-analogy/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [The problem is the myths of Area 51 are hard to dispute if no one can speak on the record about what actually happened there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-problem-is-the-myths-of-area-51-are-hard-to-dispute-if-no-one-can/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) [Explore all 74 Annie Jacobsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) ## More Vietnam quotes > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [Many people in the United States happen to believe that United States policy is wrong in Vietnam and the Vietcong are correct in wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/many-people-in-the-united-states-happen-to-believe-that-united-states/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [It might interest you that just as the U.S. was ramping up its involvement in Vietnam, LBJ launched an illegal invasion of the Dominican…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-might-interest-you-that-just-as-the-u-s-was-ramping-up-its/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [ We went to America a few times and \[Brian\] Epstein always tried to waffle on at us about saying nothing about Vietnam. So there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/we-went-to-america-a-few-times-and-brian-epstein-always-tried-to/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [Sometimes a party must sail against the wind. We cannot heed the call of those who say it is time to furl the sail.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/sometimes-a-party-must-sail-against-the-wind-we-cannot-heed-the-call/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [I was in Vietnam, and I was exposed to Agent Orange. 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And the American army did plenty of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-50-000-korean-mercenaries-we-had-in-vietnam-were-professional/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I'm not going to say I was opposed to the Vietnam War. I'm going to say I'm opposed to war. But I'm also opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/i-m-not-going-to-say-i-was-opposed-to-the-vietnam-war-i-m-going-to/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [But despite their heroic acts, the Vietnam Veterans of America continued to struggle to establish a combat badge in honor of these brave pilots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-holden/but-despite-their-heroic-acts-the-vietnam-veterans-of-america/) [Tim Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-holden/) > [Suppose Vietnam could separate itself from the American dominated global system and carry out a successful social and economic development. 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