JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency closed out a benchmark 2025 fiscal year, achieving major milestones in its mission to provide the fullest possible accounting of missing U.S. personnel to their families and the nation.
The agency not only met its congressionally mandated goal of 200 identifications per fiscal year, something DPAA hadn’t achieved since 2019, but surpassed it by a wide margin, identifying 231 service members from past conflicts.
The identifications include 165 from World War II, 58 from the Korean War, and eight from the Vietnam War, and were the results of 188 disinterments, 15 from recovery missions, 12 unilateral turnovers, 11 from partner recovery missions, and five resulting from a combination of those efforts.
Among the identifications was the 100th service member from a group of remains turned over by North Korea seven years ago. The milestone was announced by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth during his official visit to the Daniel K. Inouye DPAA Center of Excellence.
DPAA also successfully renewed its accreditation from the American National Standards Institute National Accreditation Board, a comprehensive review that occurs every four years and evaluates more than 400 standards. This accreditation sets DPAA apart among its global peers and reaffirms the agency’s dedication to the highest levels of scientific rigor and excellence.
“This accreditation represents the gold standard for forensic laboratories worldwide, and we are proud to have achieved this distinction for another four years,” Dr. John Byrd, DPAA Scientific Analysis director, said in an earlier statement on the achievement. “It reflects our unwavering commitment to excellence and scientific integrity.”
In a major step toward expanding research collaboration, the University of Hawaiʻi signed an Education Partnership Agreement with DPAA. The agreement allows UH students and faculty to access DPAA’s forensic laboratories and equipment, fostering hands-on learning, innovation, and academic partnerships that directly support the agency’s mission.
At the signing, DPAA Director Kelly McKeague emphasized that “by mutual benefit, DPAA gains the extraordinary capabilities of the UH system—such as isotope analysis—to help us find more missing Americans and bring them home to their families.”
Scientific advancement also marked the year. Thanks to a new advanced DNA capture method, known as Single Nucleotide Polymorphism, also known as SNP, DPAA identified a missing World War II service member using extended kinship methodology. SNP capture process broadens the usable pool of family DNA samples, greatly increasing the probability of successful identifications.
“Bringing answers to families who have long awaited news of their missing loved ones fills me with immense pride,” said McKeague, while discussing the importance of SNP to the accounting mission. “This new process, with its enhanced identification capabilities, empowers us to more efficiently identify those we seek and provide answers to the families.”
Additionally, the fourth annual DPAA Scientific Summit was held in Europe for the first time, bringing together DPAA experts, the Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology and Odontology, and specialists from 16 nations. The summit focused on advancing scientific collaboration, refining methodologies, and strengthening international cooperation in POW/MIA accounting.
The agency also brought partners together during its annual Partnership Symposium, which was held in Bedford, England. The event brought together global partners to exchange knowledge, streamline processes, and strengthen collaboration in support of DPAA’s mission. DPAA has120 partnerships with universities, non-governmental organizations, and international institutions, all who contribute to DPAA’s research and innovation efforts and enabling missions in 45 countries.
As the new fiscal year begins, DPAA looks ahead to new challenges and opportunities, grounded in one unchanging truth: the agency’s unwavering commitment to bring America’s heroes home.