In addition to the thousands of missing personnel who fought communist forces during wars in Korea, Vietnam, and other conflicts, many missing personnel risked their lives off of the battlefield while collecting intelligence on communist countries. The sacrifice made by these Americans enabled the U.S. and our allies to contain the threat of communist expansion until the collapse of the Soviet Union.
According to U.S. records, at the height of the Cold War, the West carried out more than 3,000 reconnaissance flights annually. About half of these occurred over or near communist-controlled Yugoslavia, Hungary, East Germany, North Korea, Albania, and the People’s Republic of China; the others occurred over or near the former Soviet Union.
DPAA is currently investigating 14 missions from the Cold War era in which aircrew members were lost and remain unaccounted-for. Available evidence suggests that most of these incidents were over-water losses. A total of 128 American missing personnel went missing on these missions, and DPAA and its predecessor organizations are proud to have identified several of these individuals and returned them to their families.
DPAA and our partners continue to build on prior investigative efforts around Cold War losses.
126 American missing personnel are unaccounted for from 14 Cold War missions
Cold War incidents took place near North Korea, the East China Sea, the Straits of Formosa, the People’s Republic of China, North Vietnam, and over or near the Soviet Union.
U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs
Joint Commision Support Division
Through its Joint Commission Support Division (JCSD), Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) provides administrative and analytic support to the U.S. Side of the U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs (USRJC) and conducts research in Russia on missing U.S. service personnel. JCSD also assists the Government of Russia with efforts to account for its missing.
| China Operations | Total Each Category | Identified |
|---|---|---|
| Remains repatriated through unilateral operations (2014) | 1 | 0 |
| Remains repatriated through unilateral operations (1975) | 2 | 2 |
| Remains recovered and repatriated through investigative and recovery operations since 1992 | 23 | 23 |
| Total remains identified 1975 to present | -- | 25 |
Cold War
Facts & Figures
- Dates
- Sept. 2, 1945 – Aug. 21, 1991
- Location
- The former Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Hungary, East
Germany, North Korea, Albania, China - Missing as of 1973*
- 128
- Accounted For**
- 2
- Unaccounted For
- 126