Commander Joint Task Force - Full Accounting
June 28, 1995
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
UNTIL RELEASED BY THE
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY
MILITARY PERSONNEL SUBCOMMITTEE
INTRODUCTION
Good morning Mr. Chairman. Thank you for this opportunity to testify before your committee.
Since 1992, a Pacific Command unit known as Joint Task Force - Full Accounting (JTF-FA) has spearheaded the U.S. government's operational efforts to gain the fullest possible accounting of Americans lost during the war in Southeast Asia. It has been my privilege to command that task force since July 7 of last year.
Monday morning, June 26, the Pentagon announced the identification of the remains of two servicemen formerly unaccounted for in Laos. That means there are now 2,202 Americans listed as unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. Of that number, 1,618 were lost in Vietnam, 499 were lost in Laos, 77 were lost in Cambodia, and 8 were lost in China. JTF-FA is aggressively pursuing each of those cases through the process of investigations, excavations and archival research. While we have met with noteworthy success, we recognize that there is much work to be done. I would now like to discuss each of the countries in which we are searching, starting with Vietnam.
VIETNAM
Since January 1992, JTF-FA has conducted 21 Joint Field Activities, or JFAs, in Vietnam. During this time, our teams have completed 1,283 investigations and 177 excavations. Our effectiveness and our body of knowledge has increased since the beginning. In 1992, JTF-FA conducted five JFAs which averaged approximately 55 U.S. personnel. These early teams had to face many operational and logistical limitations. Now, we routinely conduct six JFAs per year, each composed of eight teams totaling over 100 U.S. specialists. These teams enjoy increased latitude and support in accomplishing our mission in the field. As a result of combined U.S.- Vietnamese efforts, remains believed to represent 202 Americans have been returned to the U.S. since January 92. Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii (CILHI) has achieved identifications of 42 Americans previously unaccounted for from Vietnam.
The establishment of a systematic archival research program was an essential supporting element of full accounting. The first Archival Research Team began operations in Hanoi in November 1992. Since then, the Vietnamese have opened national and local level archives of various kinds to our researchers. Since November 1992, JTF-FA specialists have reviewed over 27,000 items, including source documents, films, personal accounts, sketches, and other material evidence. To augment this effort, the Vietnamese Ministries of National Defense and Interior have their own special teams pursuing unilateral avenues of research. We also have an oral history program in which 135 interviews of Vietnamese veterans and government officials have been conducted. This number is in addition to the several hundred interviews conducted as part of the Joint Field Activities.
LAOS
Turning now to Laos, we have conducted 432 investigations and 56 excavations. As a result of these efforts, remains believed to represent 93 Americans were returned to the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii for analysis, and they have achieved 20 positive identifications to date.
The challenges we face in Laos differ from those we see in Vietnam and Cambodia for a variety of reasons. The terrain in Laos is the most rugged of the three, and the losses are more often in sparsely populated locations. Our operations have been conducted in accordance with a plan whereby we move from north to south, province by province, and we are just now moving into the area containing the bulk of the losses. Few roads exist, and the weather is often severe. The government of Laos continues to support our operations with an increasing level of cooperation. Of major importance has been Ambassador Tomseth's support and continued emphasis that the POW/MIA issue takes precedence over all other U.S. interests in that country.
In the last year, Joint Task Force - Full Accounting conducted six Joint Field Activities in Laos. Our teams completed 150 investigations and 14 excavations. Starting with JFA 95-1L, the Lao government agreed to increase the size of our team from three elements totaling 30 personnel to four elements totaling 40. This has allowed the operational tempo of field activities to increase proportionately. By the end of this year, we expect to complete the majority of initial case investigations in Laos. We have currently identified 52 sites for excavation and anticipate the remaining investigations will result in the selection of more sites for recovery.
We also have an archival research program in Laos. Since we began in January 1994, our team has reviewed more than 2,400 items, and has many more to do. So far, only 20 items have correlated to missing Americans. The recent Presidential delegation asked Lao authorities to expand their efforts in this important area. Another priority in Laos is their support of an effective oral history program which can help identify additional crash sites or provide other types of information needed to resolve cases.
US/SRV/LPDR TRILATERAL COOPERATION
I would like to now discuss cooperation between Vietnam and Laos in support of our efforts. Recognizing that trilateral cooperation was needed for the identification, interview and use of Vietnamese witnesses during field activities in Laos, representatives from Vietnam, Laos, and the U.S. met and agreed upon certain procedures. That process has not been implemented and, so far, seven Vietnamese witnesses have traveled to Laos to assist us in our investigations of a total of five cases during three JFAs. Although their testimony has resulted in the conduct of two excavations with a third scheduled, these excavations have yet to produce identifiable remains.
CAMBODIA
In Cambodia, we have conducted 11 joint field activities since January 1992, which have resulted in 145 investigations and 26 excavations. Remains believed to represent 27 Americans have been repatriated from Cambodia, resulting in four identifications.
As in both Vietnam and Laos, our operations in Cambodia have been conducted under hazardous conditions. In Cambodia, that condition has been exacerbated by mortar attack and small arms fire on several occasions, fortunately without any casualties. Last month, we completed a major operation in Ratanikiri Province, and due to the superb cooperation of the Cambodian government, we were able to investigate eight cases and excavate five sites, resulting in recovery and repatriation of remains associated with one of these cases. We plan another operation in Cambodia this fall.
Archival research was begun and completed in Cambodia over the past year. Seventy-seven of the hundreds of documents we reviewed contained information on individuals killed during the Vietnam War and we gleaned information related to 72 unaccounted for Americans.
CHINA
SInce 1993, we have conducted two joint field operations in China, one on the mainland and one on Hainan Island. We have investigated four cases, and conducted one excavation. We asked to return to Hainan Island to follow up on a previous investigation this year, but delays in the government's response have forced us to reschedule until next year.
CONCLUSION
I am extremely proud to represent the men and women of Joint Task Force - Full Accounting at this hearing today. They are dedicated, hard working Americans who put themselves in harm's way each time they deploy to Southeast Asia in our quest to bring this issue to resolution. JTF-FA is committed to achieving the fullest possible accounting for the 2,202 Americans still unaccounted for, and to relieving the burden the families carry.
Thank you again for this opportunity. I welcome your questions.