Ulsterisation was a play on the word ‘Vietnamisation’, the process by which the US army in Vietnam had recruited and trained locals to take the place of US troops in the front line. In a Belfast context this involved planning a gradual decrease in the number of regular troops and their replacement by an expanded RUC and UDR. It also meant what was known as ‘police primacy’, giving the RUC the lead in security matters and placing the army largely under its direction.
