The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency commenced operations with the merger of the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, announced the Pentagon. “Today marks an important step in establishing the new agency and the continued commitment to the families of service members who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and remain unaccounted for,” said Christine Wormuth, undersecretary of defense for policy, on the Jan. 30 standup. Rear Adm. Mike Franken is serving as the agency’s interim director. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel last March announced the Pentagon’s intent to create the new agency so that there would be a single, accountable organization with comprehensive oversight of the Pentagon’s past-conflict personnel accounting resources, research, and operations. The new organization combines the DPMO, the JPAC, and select functions of the Air Force’s Life Sciences Equipment Lab.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
