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American and Vietnamese officials stand for a group picture during the 171st Repatriation Ceremony at the Gia Lam Airfield, Hanoi, Vietnam, on Dec. 13, 2025.

Dec. 13, 2025

United States Holds 171st Repatriation Ceremony in Vietnam

HANOI, Vietnam — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency received possible remains of a U.S. service member from the Vietnam War presented by the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) during a repatriation Ceremony at the Gia Lam Airfield, Dec. 13, 2025. At the ceremony, the 171st repatriation ceremony held by the two countries, VNOSMP representatives handed over remains to the DPAA thought to be associated with a U.S. Air Force F-105 crash site in Yen Bai Province.

Kevin Dalton, Archaeologist and Terrestrial Development Lead with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine in support of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, left, and Bryan Harrell, a member of SEARCH, a DPAA partner organization, discuss the Duck Pond mission during DPAA’s fourth annual Partnership Symposium at Cranfield University, Sept. 24, 2025.

Dec. 4, 2025

DPAA hosts Partnership Symposium to enhance accounting efforts

CRANFIELD, England — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency hosted its fourth annual Partnership Symposium at Cranfield University from Sept. 24 – 25, 2025. The event advanced international collaboration in the effort to account for U.S. personnel still missing from past conflicts.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jason Kim, Detachment 2 Commander, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, observes operations during an official visit to a recovery site in Vietnam, August 15, 2025.

Nov. 24, 2025

Introducing the DPAA Detachment 2 Commander

HANOI, Vietnam — U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jason Kim has officially assumed command of Detachment 2, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in Hanoi, from Lt. Col. Travis Walter on July 25, 2025, marking a new chapter in the ongoing mission to recover and identify American service members missing from the Vietnam War.

Starting Oct. 30, 2025, two Vietnamese unilateral recovery teams began efforts at two complex recovery sites in Vietnam to look for missing American personnel from the Vietnam War. These difficult sites, characterized by karst mountains, steep hills and dense jungle, highlight the significant contributions of Vietnamese counterparts.

Nov. 22, 2025

Accounting Mission Continued Despite Lapse of Appropriations Thanks to Vietnam

HANOI, Vietnam — Despite the lapse of appropriations forcing the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency to cancel its Joint Field Activities in Vietnam that was planned for late October through early December, the mission did not stop thanks to two Vietnamese recovery teams.

Dr. Rebecca Taylor, a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency forensic anthropologist supervisor, takes a lab proficiency test at the Daniel K. Inouye DPAA Center of Excellence, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Oct. 30, 2025.

Nov. 18, 2025

DPAA Laboratories completes annual proficiency testing

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has completed annual lab proficiency testing on Oct. 31, reaffirming the agency’s commitment to the highest standards of scientific excellence in its mission to account for America’s missing personnel. Following its recent accreditation by the American National Standards Institute National Accreditation Board, DPAA laboratories are still required to complete annual competency testing to maintain adherence to national scientific standards.

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Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency PAO
Washington, D.C.
2300 Defense Pentagon
Attn: Outreach and Communications
Washington, D.C. 20301-2300
Email: dpaa.ncr.oc.mbx.public-affairs@mail.mil