On 23 November 1969, Lieutenant Robert Thomas Convery of the 9th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment was killed when a grenade exploded while he was sleeping in his tent at Nui Dat, South Vietnam. Harlan of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) Private E-2 Billy Dean Smith was charged with killing the officers but was acquitted in November 1972.: 89–93,51–57Vietnam War (Australian forces). The last conscript was inducted into the army in 1973. Officers were sometimes forced to negotiate with their enlisted men to obtain their consent before undertaking dangerous patrols.: 175-176The breakdown of discipline, including fragging, was an important factor leading to the creation of an all-volunteer military force by the United States and the termination of conscription.
Fragging, the threat of fragging, and investigations of fragging sometimes disrupted or delayed tactical combat operations. For fear of being fragged, some leaders turned a blind eye to drug use and other indiscipline among the men in their charge. Ten fraggers were convicted of murder and served sentences ranging from ten months to thirty years with a mean prison time of about nine years.: 140-141,181-182,229 Influence In the Vietnam War, the threat of fragging caused many officers and NCOs to go armed in rear areas and to change their sleeping arrangements as fragging often consisted of throwing a grenade into a tent where the target was sleeping. The rapid rotation of personnel, especially of officers who served (on average) less than six months in command roles, decreased the stability and cohesion of military units. The demand for manpower for the war in Vietnam caused the armed forces to lower their standards for inducting both officers and enlisted men.
Enforcement of military regulations, especially if done overzealously, led to troops' complaining and sometimes threats of physical violence directed toward officers.A number of factors may have influenced the incidence of fragging. The resentment directed from enlisted men toward older officers was exacerbated by generational gaps, as well as different perceptions of how the military should conduct itself. Began to withdraw its military forces from Vietnam, some American enlisted men and young officers lost their sense of purpose for being in Vietnam, and the relationship between enlisted men and their officers deteriorated. Such as racism, drug use, and resentment toward authoritarian leaders. Military reflected social problems and issues in the U.S.
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