Offices / Departments

Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), Detachment Three

Detachment Three is located in Vientiane, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, with its offices located in the U.S. Embassy. Detachment Three was officially established in January 1992 as one of four geographically separated Detachments under Joint Task Force-Full Accounting Headquartered at Camp Smith, Hawaii. On October 1, 2003 a merger between Joint Task Force-Full Accounting and the Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii resulted in command authority of Detachment Three being assumed by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC); a component command of the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM).

Detachment Three’s mission is to provide command, control, and logistical support required to conduct field operations in Laos. With a forward operating logistics center in Savannakhet, Laos, Detachment Three is able to utilize host country equipment and facilities for transit of personnel and pre-positioning of equipment. Four active military personnel (1-Army, 1-Navy, and 2-Air Force), two Department of Defense civilians, and seven host nation civilian personnel are permanently assigned to Detachment Three and are responsible for the safe conduct of five field operations per year. Detachment Three also facilitates one unilateral investigation period a year, carried out solely by the Lao government component of the joint team, and coordinates trilateral investigations with Vietnamese witnesses to cases in the Lao PDR. Additionally, Detachment Three facilitates periodic bilateral meetings to review progress and plan future operations.

All JPAC Activities