How did the number of U.S. military advisers in Vietnam grow under Kennedy?

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Vietnam War U.S. troops wading through a marsh in the Mekong delta, South Vietnam, 1967.

Under the administration of President John F. Kennedy, the number of U.S. military personnel in Vietnam increased significantly as part of a strategy to bolster the South Vietnamese government against communist insurgency.

Throughout the 1950s, the number of U.S. military advisers in the region remained below 800. Following recommendations from advisers such as Maxwell Taylor and Walt W. Rostow to expand military assistance, the U.S. presence grew rapidly. By the middle of 1962, the number of U.S. military personnel had risen to approximately 9,000. Other reports indicate that this figure reached 11,000 by the end of 1962.12