Maythong Thammavongsa, Deputy minister at ministry of Foreign Affairs, speaks during ceremony at a repatriation ceremony in Laos, Feb. 23, 2026. The ceremony marked the end of a recovery mission supporting identification efforts of missing service members in Laos. The possible remains are being sent to the DPAA laboratory on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii for further scientific analysis and possible identification. There are more than 280 personnel missing in Laos from the Vietnam War. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Dallin Wrye)