Defense POW/MIA Accounting Command Deputy Updates American Legion National Convention on His Agency’s Progress since 2015 O...
August 28 2016 - 12:32PM
Business Wire
POW/MIA Accounting Command rep: Agency
merger is working
More than 83,000 U.S. servicemembers still remain classified as
either prisoners of war or missing in action. The Department of
Defense agency tasked with locating and returning them – Defense
POW/MIA Accounting Command (DPAA) – knows returning all of them is
likely impossible, but since undergoing a major overhaul that
mission has become more streamlined and effective.
That was the message delivered by Johnie Webb, deputy to the
DPAA Commander for External Relations and Legislative Affairs, to
The American Legion National Convention Aug. 27 in Cincinnati.
Speaking to the Legion’s National Security Commission, Webb said a
merger between the former Defense Prisoner of War Missing Personnel
Office, the Joint Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting
Command and the Life Sciences Equipment Laboratory in January 2015
already has paid off.
“All those agencies were involved previously, but under
different commands,” he said. “So while we might have had unity of
effort, we did not have unity of commander. With this merger, we do
have unity of command … and (we’re) able to move forward with
everybody pulling their same weight.”
In January 2016, DPAA became fully operational capable. A deputy
director for Operations oversees efforts in Asia Pacific, Europe,
and efforts both stateside and in forward operations throughout the
world.
This year, DPAA is performing missions in 18 countries with 26
investigation teams and 57 recovery teams. The agency expects to
identify 160-180 missing personnel. Forty-three of 388 U.S.S.
Oklahoma remains previous buried as unknown at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific were disinterred and then
identified as of Aug. 17.
“That’s what’s happening today,” Webb said. “We can do this
identification of these 388 within five years. We think we’re ahead
of the plan now and can do it sooner than that.”
Webb said it’s realistic to think that of the remaining
POW-MIAs, approximately 28,000-30,000 will be recovered. To help
achieve that goal, DPAA has partnered with various outside
organizations, foreign governments and others. DPAA eventually will
be issuing grants to supporting organizations and private entities,
“which I think is going to bring even more partnerships on board
for us to begin working with,” Webb said. “As we try to expand so
we can do more with less – because again, everybody’s downsizing –
we’re looking to those partnerships. We’ve been successful, and we
think we’ll be even more successful.”
As recently as its 2015 national convention, The American Legion
reiterated its position on U.S. POWs and MIAs, calling for “the
fullest possible accounting for all U.S. military personnel and
designated civilian personnel missing and unaccounted for from our
nation’s wars and conflicts.” The Legion also will again
participate in the National POW-MIA Recognition Day ceremony Sept.
16 in Washington, D.C.
“Thank you, The American Legion, for all that you do for our
veterans – and, more specifically, all that you do for the POW-MIA
issue in keeping it in the forefront of our nation,” Webb said.
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160828005026/en/
For American LegionHenry Howard, 765-491-3545