Sept. 16, 2025

DPAA Laboratories renew accreditation

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii — JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has successfully renewed its accreditation from the American National Standards Institute National Accreditation Board, reaffirming the agency’s commitment to the highest standards of scientific excellence in its mission to account for America’s missing personnel. “We are accredited to what’s called ISO/IEC 17025, which is the international gold standard for testing laboratories,” explained Kristin Bukovec, a DPAA laboratory quality manager. “This ensures our work is conducted with rigor, reliability, and consistency every time.” Bukovec oversees DPAA’s adherence to national standards of scientific practice and leads the accreditation process when ANAB teams conduct their assessments. The accreditation process, which takes place every four years with annual reviews, involves a team of four to eight expert assessors who evaluate more than 400 requirements. These include compliance with both ANAB standards and DPAA’s own standard operating procedures. Assessors review everything from daily scientific activities to case files, reports, and laboratory records.

Aug. 21, 2025

Educational Partnership Agreement between the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the University of Hawaii

HAWAII — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the University of Hawaii signed an Education Partnership Agreement on Aug. 19, 2025, establishing a collaboration that advances DPAA’s critical mission of identifying missing U.S. personnel while expanding educational and research opportunities for students and faculty.

Aug. 12, 2025

US, Vietnam Team Returns Possible Remains of Vietnam War Missing, Supporting Identification Efforts

DA NANG PROVINCE, Vietnam — In a poignant repatriation ceremony held, July 25, 2025, in Da Nang province, a joint U.S.-Vietnamese team marked the end of a significant recovery mission aimed at supporting the identification of those still missing from the Vietnam War. Members of the 25-3VN Underwater Recovery Team, working alongside the Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons, Vietnam Detachment 2, and U.S. Embassy Hanoi carefully loaded possible remains onto caskets bound for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency's laboratory in Hawaii.

Aug. 12, 2025

DPAA and South Korea's MAKRI Forge Stronger Partnership in Recovering Missing Korean War Heroes

WASHINGTON — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense Agency for KIA Recovery and Identification, MAKRI, signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Arlington, Virginia, Aug. 6, solidifying their commitment to recovering and identifying remains of service members missing from the Korean War.

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii Aug. 6, 2025

U.S. Navy Capt. Meghan Bodnar Assumes the position of Deputy Director for Operations

U.S. Navy Capt. Meghan Bodnar brings decades of naval leadership and nuclear operations expertise to her new role as deputy director for operations at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.