June 1967 and June 1968: In the context of Vietnamization, the 5th Special Forces began to prepare for disengagement and prepared CIDG members to become part of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) or other government agencies. This involved closure, conversion and/or turnover of the CIDG camps to full ARVN Special Forces control. Great emphasis was given to assistance of the CIDG soldier and his family; with the intention of increasing Vietnamese participation, thereby preparing the South Vietnamese for a total take-over and improving their motivation to keep fighting. The third change was a result of the Tet Offensive, launched in January 1968, in which CIDG troops successfully defended a number of urban centers, such as Nha Trang, Qui Nhon, Kon Tum, Pleiku, Chau Doc, Ban Me Thuot, Phan Thiet and Dalat. This was considered an excellent performance considering their training mainly involved jungle operations. Since then, CIDG forces were regarded as an economy of force element, which could be used to release conventional units for deployment in response to new enemy buildups. They also were used for conventional operations, along with the U.S. and other Free World forces. In response to the increasing enemy firepower, also in recognition to the CIDG, the US MACV approved a weapons modernization program in April 1968, under which CIDG troops were equipped with M16 rifles, M60 machine guns, and M79 grenade launchers. Up to that point, CIDG troops had used mainly M1 Carbines and M14 rifles. The weapons transfer program was completed in January 1969. By 1 June 1970, the number of CIDG camps in South Vietnam had been reduced to thirty-eight, either by conversion to Regional Forces status or by closure. The South Vietnamese Joint General Staff (JGS) and the MACV staff then decided to convert the remaining camps to Vietnamese Rangers camps, with a target date of 31 December 1970. Progressive, concurrent conversion cycles were initiated, with the major criteria being the state of security around each camp and seasonal weather. Camps in relatively secure areas that could be supplied easily during the rainy season were converted first. Camps in less secure areas were scheduled for later conversion so that more time and resources could be applied to increase the combat readiness of these camps. The final number of CIDG camps converted to Rangers was 37. During the stand-down period, every effort was made to raise the combat readiness