A siring of US Marine Corps and Vietnamese combat bases had been established south of the DMZ to protect the population centers and the lines of communication along the coast. The Marine forces were part of III Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF), which was responsible for over 81,000 troops in January 1968. Also in the northern portion of South Vietnam was the Army of the Republic of Vietnam's (ARVN) I Corps Tactical Zone (I CTZ). Most of the ARVN forces were concentrated on the populous coastal plain, with some deployed in the hills that stretched inland. Only a small base at Khe Sanh secured the westernmost sector, some 30 kilometers (19 miles) of rugged country stretching from the Marine combat bases at the "Rockpile" and Ca Lu to the Laotian border. Khe Sanh had only one line of communication, National Route 9 (QL9-Quoc Lo 9) running east-west between Quang Tri Province and l,aos. This "National Route" consisted in reality of a one-lane dirt road that crossed scores of streams along its route and as a result was all too easily cut by the enemy. The hills and forests that characterized northwest Quang Tri Province concealed enemy movements and the many bridges were vulnerable in the extreme and easy to destroy, with few alternative routes available through the deep gorges. To exacerbate the situation, the weather conditions predominantly favored the enemy.
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