Attempting to restore the control of the South Vietnamese Government to the areas of population which had been cut off by the Viet Cong (VC), who controlled many of the villages and the supply routes between the towns, was a key focus for the battalion. It therefore attempted to drive out the village cadres and Viet Cong through cordon and search operations, numerous successful ambushes, and by establishing a good local intelligence network – largely through close relations with the senior members of each village. Many of the villagers did not support the Viet Cong regime due to the heavy taxes they levied, the manner in which they restricted civilian travel to the various markets for trade, and because they conscripted those of military age. As the battalion did not have the manpower to patrol the areas in the north of the province in search of regular Viet Cong units, they chose to concentrate on the villages in an attempt to destroy the Viet Cong power base. This resulted in cordon and search operations of Duc My, Binh Ba, Ngai Giao, Phuoc Hoa, Xuyen Moc and on Long Sơn Island. These operations were largely successful and the techniques developed in their execution were to be accepted and used throughout the Australian Army.