Assessment of DoD's Central Identification Lab and the Feasibility of Increasing Identification Rates

This study was commissioned by the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) to address public and Congressional concerns over the pace and scope of work by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) to identify remains, including those already recovered but not yet identified. DPMO requested an independent assessment of viable alternatives for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the operations of JPAC's Central Identification Laboratory (CIL). Specifically, IDA was tasked to examine the actions needed to increase the number of identifications to 180 per year by 2014. This report (i) identifies possible improvements in efficiency and effectiveness within existing (or currently planned) resources; (ii) describes a pragmatic near-term initiative for expanding CIL identification activities by resolving a targeted set of pending cases already in the CIL accessions, and (iii) describes the relationship between the long-term priorities of the identification mission and the types and scale of capabilities that would be necessary to achieve an annual identification rate of 180 per year. Task BB-6-3030. The original document contains color images.