Declassified Satellite Photos Reveal Impacts of the Vietnam War

Picture: In secretive campaigns, U.S. aircraft sprayed Agent Orange and other herbicides to strip leaves from trees and kill crops.Dick Swanson/Getty Images

In an article by the Science Advisor, Maya Wei-Haas discusses how declassified satellite photos from the Cold War era, originally taken for reconnaissance purposes, are now being used by scientists to study the long-term environmental and ecological impacts of the Vietnam War.

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military dropped millions of tons of bombs, defoliants, and herbicides, including the infamous Agent Orange, across Southeast Asia. These actions devastated vast swaths of forest and farmland, but the full extent of the environmental damage has been difficult to quantify—until now. Recently declassified satellite images from the Cold War era, originally taken for reconnaissance purposes, are offering scientists a new tool to study the war’s long-term ecological impacts. These images, once top secret, are now being used to map deforestation, bomb craters, and other changes to the landscape, providing a clearer picture of how the conflict altered the region’s ecosystems.

The satellite photos, part of the U.S. CORONA program, were taken between 1960 and 1972 and have only recently become available to researchers. By comparing these historical images with modern satellite data, scientists can track changes in land use, vegetation recovery, and the persistence of war-related damage. For example, researchers have identified areas where forests have struggled to regrow, even decades after the war, due to the lingering effects of herbicides and soil degradation. These findings are helping to explain why some regions remain ecologically scarred, while others have rebounded more successfully.

Beyond environmental science, the declassified images are also shedding light on the human toll of the war. By mapping bomb craters and defoliated areas, researchers can better understand how the conflict disrupted agriculture, displaced communities, and exposed people to toxic chemicals. This research underscores the dual-use potential of historical military intelligence, turning tools of war into instruments for understanding and addressing its long-term consequences. As scientists continue to analyze these images, they hope to not only document the past but also inform efforts to restore damaged ecosystems and support affected communities.