"By the end of 2004, we will have moved from the way the US government conducts the business of recovery and accounting to an active program of loss prevention, immediate rescues, and rapid post-hostility accounting"

POW/MIA Accounting 1999 published by DPMO

DPMO Five Year Strategic Plan, - Goal #4 1999

In the last several years budgets and staffing for accounting efforts have moved steadily downward. JPAC is underfunded. Stoney Beach charged with live sighting investigations was moved from its base in Thailand to Hawaii, eliminating any rapid response or walk-in live sighting reporting. According to former DPMO Intelligence Research Officer Warren Gray, "DPMO has pretty much refused to use Stony Beach for any intelligence collection purposes..." The Defense Department has eliminated "domestically" the use of the designation Prisoner of War or POW. DPMO continues to tell Senators and Congressional representative the designation exists. Yet, they have still have not produced the directive that would allow an American service member to be designated a POW "domestically." All remains recovery efforts in North Korea have ceased, under the guise of safety concerns.

The U.S./Russian Joint Commission has been without a meaningful Chairman since April of 2005. As far as we know, the Russian Government has not announced its new commission membership, and the U.S. side has yet to appoint a replacement for Mr. Jennings. This failure to name a strong Chairman has allowed our Russian counterparts to drag their feet in naming a Russian Chairman. While waiting for this stalemate to end, valuable leads are allowed to atrophy. Nowhere, is this more apparent than in the case of the Gulag Study. Rather than exploiting Russian acceptance of a previous U.S. proposal to visit sites mentioned in the study and conduct a thorough field investigation to validate the reports of American servicemen seen in prisons, we have done nothing.

The current leadership within DPMO is a transition team. Just as in the corporate world, transition teams do the hard jobs, make the hard decisions or recommendations, leaving the road clear for new management.

While we certainly will not agree with or support any decision to "transition" the accounting effort or downsize the JCSD, we can say that our first experience with Mr. Newberry and Ms. Fairnot was positive.

On Thursday January 22nd, National Alliance of Families representative and long time advisor, Mark Sauter met with acting Deputy Secretary of Defense (DASD) for POW/MIA Affairs Robert Newberry. Mr. Newberry was appointed as acting DASD and given the mandate to reorganization of the Defense POW/MIA Office (DPMO). At the top of the agenda is reducing the budget.

One of the main targets of this budget reducing effort is the Joint Commission Support Directive (JCSD), the investigative arm of the U.S./Russian Joint Commission. We believe the JCSD will either be downsized or eliminated. Downsizing could range from a reduction of staff to the closing of the Moscow office. In our opinion, JCSD is already understaffed and underfunded. Reducing the staff or closing of the Moscow office would send the wrong message our Russian counterparts, in archival research and investigations.

Historically, the JCSD yearly operating budget has hovered at the $1,000,000 mark. But, it has steadily moved downward in recent years. Considering past JCSD successes, and the potential for future success, with strong Commission leadership, the full voiced support of the U.S. Government and Russian cooperation, this is a small price to pay. A budget allocation of $1,000,000 is minimal in overall operations of the Department of Defense.

In a letter hand delivered by Mr. Sauter, to Mr. Newberry, we stated; "Last year we answered questions submitted by the Institute of Defense Analyses (IDA) to assist in their evaluation of DPMO. Based on the questions posed we are concerned that some form of downsizing is under consideration for the Commission and the JCSD. This would be a grave mistake. The consistent progress of the JCSD is remarkable, considering the fact they are dealing with governments who still maintain their shield of secrecy. We cannot allow the progress already made, as evidenced by the Gulag Study, to be brushed aside. There are many avenues left to pursue. We can only imagine the progress that could be made with a full voiced U.S. support of the JCSD mission. Any downsizing of the JCSD or change in mission scope would be met with bitter opposition from POW/MIA family members."

The Joint Commission Support Directorate is not the only target for budget cuts. The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) is also under the microscope. There are clear indications that JPAC continues to be underfunded. While publically issuing statements of commitment to the accounting effort, actions within the Defense Department show quite the opposite.

Our voices must be heard. We must send a clear and united message. POW/MIA family members, veterans, and concerned citizens will bitterly oppose any attempt to "transition the accounting process" by downsizing or eliminating the Joint Commission Support Directorate. With regard to DPMO it is clear changes need to be made in that office, both in attitude, personnel and direction. POW/MIA family members envisioned an open minded DPMO where input from family members would be reviewed and not summarily dismissed. POW/MIA family members envisioned a DPMO that would fully investigate each case based on all information, rather than closing a case in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. It is our hope that the Newberry transition team, gives us the DPMO we have dreamed of, full staffed by qualified and objective investigators and fully funded. A perfect model for the DPMO we envision is the old Task Force Russia.

We believe DPMO requires strong, experienced leadership. That is why the National Alliance of Families, along with the Korea/Cold War Families of the Missing, the Korean War POW/MIA Network, the Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War POW/MIAs, the POW Network, Help Free POW*MIA's Now, the Northeast POW/MIA Network, and the Prisoner of War/ Missing in Action CT Forget-Me-Nots, Inc have all endorsed Mr. Norman Kass for the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for POW/MIA Affairs.

We have learned that Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Peter Rodman, will play an important roll in both the naming of the new Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for POW/MIA Affairs and implementing any changes within DPMO and in the accounting process recommended by the transition team.

For that reason, we urge you all to contact Mr. Rodman. Voice your support for the appointment of Mr. Norman Kass for the DASD position and state your opposition to any downsizing or change in the mission or scope of the Joint Commission Support Directorate. Ask Mr. Rodman to provide POW/MIA family members a DPMO they and their loved ones truly deserve.

Send or fax your letters to:	Mr. Peter Rodman
	Assistant Secretary of Defense For International Security Affairs
	The Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 20301
	FAX: 703/ 697-7230
	TEL: 703/ 695 - 4351

We must act quickly, as we expect all decisions will be made within the next 60 - 120 days.

Bring Capt. Paul Lorence Home - We first wrote about Capt Lorence in the March 23, 2002 edition of Bits N Pieces.

On April 14 1986, President Ronald Reagan gave the order to launch Operation El Dorado Canyon, in retaliation for a terrorist attack in Germany that killed American servicemen. One of the F111's participating in the raid, on Libya was manned by Capt Fernando I. Ribas-Dominicci and Weapons System Officer Capt. Paul Lorence. It is believed they were shot down somewhere over the Mediterranean

On Wednesday May 7 1986, the Associated Press reported that Libyan television showed a body wearing a military uniform. The Libyans stated the body was of an American pilot shot down during the bombing raid. Also displayed were a wedding ring, bullets, $59.00 in American funds and 10 British pounds. Libyan television reported the remains of the pilot has washed up on shore 25 miles west of Tripoli. The report did not say when the body was found.

On Saturday May 3rd 1986, Libyan televison displayed a flight helmet bearing the name Lorence, saying it too had washed up on shore. After that.... nothing as far as we can tell.

Then in January 1989, Reuters reported that Libyan Press Agency JANA had announced they were about to return the body of an American pilot, shot down during the April 1986 raid, to a Vatican representative. A previous JANA report indicated the body was that of Capt. Paul Lorence.

On January 13th the body was flown to Rome and turned over to Vatican representatives. Subsequently, the remains were identified as Capt Fernando I. Ribas-Dominicci. Did the Libyan's mistakenly identify the remains as Capt. Lorence base on the name on the flight helmet? Or, do the Libyan's know more about Capt. Lorence then they are willing to share?

We don't know and it seems that no one on the U.S. side was asking. Then, after our March 2002 newsletter and we don't know if there is any connection, Capt Lorence was mentioned in the June DPMO briefing during our annual Forum. References to contact with Libya on the Lorence case appeared on the DPMO web site.

In 2004, at the request of the Special Assistant to Jerry D. Jennings, then Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/MIA Affairs, we were asked to submit a list of question to be addressed at our 2004 Forum. Among the eight questions was; "As relations with Libya thaw, what initiatives has DPMO taken or plans to take to resolve the fate of Capt. Paul Lorence, lost during operation El Dorado Canyon?"

This question, along with the seven remaining questions, remain unanswered.

The family and friends of Capt. Lorence have united in an effort to bring Paul Lorence home. To that end, we ask you all sign the online petition at:

Why does Johnie Webb still have his job?????????????

National Alliance of Families 17th Annual Forum is scheduled for June 22th - 24th, 2006. Hotel information to follow. We have no idea if DPMO will again hold a concerned citizens briefing. As soon as we hear anything, we will let you know.

Our forum is conducted to coincide with the Governments annual Vietnam POW/MIA Family Briefings. We urge all family members to attend this years' government briefing. The government will provide free airfare to two family members to attend the government briefings. There is no charge or registration fee to attend the government briefings and you do not have to belong to any organization to attend these briefings.

The Alliance is an all volunteer organization. Our meetings are open to all, without charge. At this time of year, we actively seek contributions to finance our forum. If you wish to contribute, donations may be mailed to: