✓ WikipediaPower & Policy
South Vietnam's air force chief rose to lead the whole country
Nguyen Cao Ky, commander of South Vietnam's air force, became prime minister at the head of a military regime.
Ky led the Republic of Vietnam Air Force during the 1960s before taking power as prime minister within a military junta from 1965 to 1967. He then served as vice president under General Nguyen Van Thieu, a bitter rival, inside a nominally civilian administration.
He remained in that role until retiring from politics in 1971. His career carried him from cockpit to the highest offices of a nation at war.
The arc captured the turbulence of South Vietnamese politics.
Why it mattersHis rise reveals how military leaders dominated South Vietnam's government during the height of the Vietnam War.
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