News-Info-Alerts

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci

(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Re:DPMO Weekly Update for 26 MAR

Date: April 14, 1999

Defense POW/MIA Weekly Update
March 26, 1999

DPMO SUPPORT TO KOSOVO OPERATIONS

With the onset of combat air operations in Kosovo earlier this week, DPMO began manning a command center in the Pentagon on a 24-hour shift. With DPMOÍs responsibilities in policy oversight of the personnel recovery mission, personnel from DPMOÍs operations division and Research and Analysis directorate are closely monitoring Kosovo operations.

The DPMO representatives work closely with their counterparts from the military services, the joint staff, the unified commands as well as other agencies who have responsibilities in this combat operation.

DPMO has taken several actions to ensure there will be compliance with the Missing Persons Act should the U. S. suffer a loss as a result of hostile action during the Kosovo operation. First, DPMO has contacted each of the service casualty/mortuary affairs offices to remind them of the requirements of the MPA. In addition, DPMO has pre-positioned an electronic copy of the draft DoD Instruction that, when published, will implement the MPA with each casualty/mortuary affairs office, and is available for pinpoint distribution to the command that suffers the loss. In addition, the service casualty/mortuary affairs offices were given a point of contact at DPMO to contact should a loss occur.

The DPMO staff also provided the Personnel Subcommittees of House and Senate Armed Services Committees with the procedures we intend to use to comply with the MPA in event we have isolated or missing personnel.

The DASD has personally contacted the senior leadership of the Veterans Service Organizations and the National League of Families, who made up the Presidential Delegation on POW/MIA Affairs, assuring them that adequate preparations have been made for the recovery of isolated or missing personnel and that it is a matter of the highest priority for the Secretary of Defense and the administration.

NATO OPERATIONS IN KOSOVO PROMPT RUSSIAN REACTION

The Russian chairman of the U. S. Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs has notified the U. S. side that Commission work in Russia is to be suspended.

Gen. Roland Lajoie, U. S. chairman of the commission, will be sending a letter to his counterpart in which he asks that the Commission's work be allowed to proceed regardless of any differences between the two governments over policy matters.

The Commission is seeking to reinstate the arrangement under which our researchers can return to work at the Russian MoD archives. We are not proceeding with additional TDY assignments to Moscow until we are sure that conditions there are suitable.

In Moscow yesterday, between 1,000 and 2,000 demonstrators assembled in front of the Embassy, where offices of the DPMO staff are located. Most of the demonstrators were young males and carried signs protesting U. S. involvement in the NATO operation. The crowd dispersed at about 11:00 p.m. when the police moved them away from the U. S. Embassy.

Saturday, Embassy officials are expecting a big demonstration with perhaps 5,000 people participating. Consequently, Embassy security officials have asked that employees maintain an alert security posture.

Meanwhile, Embassy security officials have shuttered the windows, reinforced the barricades at the main gate, and taken other precautions. In other day-to-day professional contacts, the Russians are shutting down official contacts with Americans.

Radio and television, which is state controlled, and most of the newspapers, portray the attacks on Yugoslavia as an American attack. Most Russians do not realize that NATO is involved and few Russians are aware of the atrocities that the Serbs are accused of committing. This information "black out" puts a heavy burden on foreign radio such as Radio Liberty, the BBC, and Voice of America to get the message through to the Russian public.

According to the JCSD staff in Moscow, everyone is safe and morale is high.