A vector measure result is used to study the complementation of the space $K(X,Y)$ of compact operators in the spaces $W(X,Y)$ of weakly compact operators, $CC(X,Y)$ of completely continuous operators, and $U(X,Y)$ of unconditionally converging operators. Results of Kalton and Emmanuele concerning the complementation of $K(X,Y)$ in $L(X,Y)$ and in $W(X,Y)$ are generalized. The containment of $c_0$ and $\ell_\infty$ in spaces of operators is also studied.

We study the complementation of the space $W(X,Y)$ of weakly compact operators, the space $K(X,Y)$ of compact operators, the space $U(X,Y)$ of unconditionally converging operators, and the space $CC(X,Y)$ of completely continuous operators in the space $L(X,Y)$ of bounded linear operators from $X$ to $Y$. Feder proved that if $X$ is infinite-dimensional and $c_0 \hookrightarrow Y$, then $K(X,Y)$ is uncomplemented in $L(X,Y)$. Emmanuele and John showed that if $c_0 \hookrightarrow K(X,Y)$, then $K(X,Y)$ is uncomplemented in $L(X,Y)$. Bator and Lewis showed that if $X$ is not a Grothendieck space and $c_0 \hookrightarrow Y$, then $W(X,Y)$ is uncomplemented in $L(X,Y)$. In this paper, classical results of Kalton and separably determined operator ideals with property $(*)$ are used to obtain complementation results that yield these theorems as corollaries.

The Banach spaces $L(X, Y)$, $K(X, Y)$, $L_{w^*}(X^*, Y)$, and $K_{w^*}(X^*, Y)$ are studied to determine when they contain the classical Banach spaces $c_o$ or $\ell_\infty$. The complementation of the Banach space $K(X, Y)$ in $L(X, Y)$ is discussed as well as what impact this complementation has on the embedding of $c_o$ or $\ell_\infty$ in $K(X, Y)$ or $L(X, Y)$. Results of Kalton, Feder, and Emmanuele concerning the complementation of $K(X, Y)$ in $L(X, Y)$ are generalized. Results concerning the complementation of the Banach space $K_{w^*}(X^*, Y)$ in $L_{w^*}(X^*, Y)$ are also explored as well as how that complementation affects the embedding of $c_o$ or $\ell_\infty$ in $K_{w^*}(X^*, Y)$ or $L_{w^*}(X^*, Y)$. The $\ell_p$ spaces for $1 = p < \infty$ are studied to determine when the space of compact operators from one $\ell_p$ space to another contains $c_o$. The paper contains a new result which classifies these spaces of operators. A new result using vector measures is given to provide more efficient proofs of theorems by Kalton, Feder, Emmanuele, Emmanuele and John, and Bator and Lewis.

It is known that any non-archimedean Fr\'echet space of countable type is isomorphic to a subspace of $c_0^{\mathbb{N}}$. In this paper we prove that there exists a non-archimedean Fr\'echet space $U$ with a basis $(u_n)$ such that any basis $(x_n)$ in a non-archimedean Fr\'echet space $X$ is equivalent to a subbasis $(u_{k_n})$ of $(u_n)$. Then any non-archimedean Fr\'echet space with a basis is isomorphic to a complemented subspace of $U$. In contrast to this, we show that a non-archimedean Fr\'echet space $X$ with a basis $(x_n)$ is isomorphic to a complemented subspace of $c_0^{\mathbb{N}}$ if and only if $X$ is isomorphic to one of the following spaces: $c_0$, $c_0 \times \mathbb{K}^{\mathbb{N}}$, $\mathbb{K}^{\mathbb{N}}$, $c_0^{\mathbb{N}}$. Finally, we prove that there is no nuclear non-archimedean Fr\'echet space $H$ with a basis $(h_n)$ such that any basis $(y_n)$ in a nuclear non-archimedean Fr\'echet space $Y$ is equivalent to a subbasis $(h_{k_n})$ of $(h_n)$.