MISSION AND HISTORY
DETACHMENT THAILAND (DET-1)
DEFENSE POW/MIA ACCOUNTING AGENCY (DPAA)

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation. The agency’s vision is a world-class workforce that fulfills our nation’s obligation by maximizing the number of missing personnel accounted for while ensuring timely, accurate information is provided to their families.

On 16 January 2015, the Secretary of Defense approved an executive order that established a new agency by consolidating the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, the Joint Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Command, and the Life Sciences Equipment Laboratory. The new agency is called Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and 2015 was a transition year with many milestones, leading to full operational capability as of January 2016.

Detachment One was officially activated in January 1992, and is one of three forward-deployed detachments. It is located in Bangkok, Kingdom of Thailand, with its offices located in the United States Embassy. Detachment One’s mission is to provide administrative and logistical support for DPAA regional operations, and conduct command and control operations in Cambodia, India and Burma. With a forward operating logistics center at the Royal Thai Naval Air Base in Utapao, DPAA is able to utilize host country facilities for transit of personnel and pre-positioning of equipment.

Detachment One serves as the regional hub for operations and logistics throughout Southeast and South Asia, and also provides support to its sister elements in Laos and Vietnam. At least three times per year, Detachment One provides command and control for approximately 300 United States and host nation personnel to conduct recovery and investigative missions in Cambodia, India, and Burma.