Planned as a pincer movement on the Plain of Jars, Operation Strength II's beginning was grossly hampered by combat refusals and desertions from one of its two task forces.

Loss of tactical air support as the Easter Offensive began in South Vietnam also weakened the Laotian effort.

In any event, neither pincer did much toward its goal of distracting the People's Army of Vietnam from its attempts to overrun the strategic guerrilla base at Long Tieng and end the war.

The original Operation Strength cut across the rear of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) when they assaulted Long Tieng in Military Region 2 (MR 2).

[4][5] The Operation Strength diversionary attack was launched from Boumalong in the north while the main assault struck northwards from Ban Pa Dong.

Having drawn 11 of the 22 attacking Communist battalions back into their own rear area, the Royalists withdrew after suffering light casualties.

By 6 March, General Vang Pao had withdrawn five of his regiment-sized Groupement Mobiles (GMs) from the first Operation Strength.

However, their colonel advised his Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) case officer these troops had long since served longer than their scheduled 60-day tour of duty in MR 2, and that they were unwilling to fight.

[6] The PAVN siege of the vital Long Tieng base and its 20 Alternate air strip continued despite Operation Strength II.

Despite the diversionary attacks, of Strength II, with these Vietnamese troops perched overlooking Long Tieng, the 316th Division and 866th Independent Regiment were also poised for an assault to overrun the guerrilla base.

A pair of Thai battalions attacked its summit in a pincer movement, while a third one drove up the western slope to capture landing pad Charlie Bravo overlooking the Sam Thong-Long Tieng road.

On 28 April, the Commando Raiders stormed the summit while being covered by an AC-119 Stinger gunship; they overran the last six PAVN soldiers atop Skyline Ridge.