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.