IV
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 311
Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should continue
to actively pursue efforts to achieve a full accounting of all members
of the Armed Forces who remain unaccounted for from previous conflicts,
particularly the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and to continue
and maintain programs and procedures for achieving a full accounting
of all military personnel who become prisoners of war or missing in
action in future conflicts.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 13, 2000
Mr. SAXTON (for himself, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey, Mr.
SMITH of New Jersey, and Mr. LOBIONDO) submitted the following con-
current resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International
Relations, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States
should continue to actively pursue efforts to achieve a
full accounting of all members of the Armed Forces
who remain unaccounted for from previous conflicts, par-
ticularly the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and
to continue and maintain programs and procedures for
achieving a full accounting of all military personnel who
become prisoners of war or missing in action in future
conflicts.
•HCON 311 IH
Whereas the United States has long-standing programs and
procedures for searching for and accounting for members
of the Armed Forces and other persons who as a result
of a military conflict are placed in a missing status;
Whereas those programs and procedures include joint re-
search and, in some cases, remains recovery operations
with the governments of North Korea, Russia, and other
countries to account for United States military personnel
who engaged in activities related to the Korean War, with
the governments of Vietnam and other Southeast Asian
countries to account for United States military personnel
who engaged in activities related to the Vietnam War,
and with the government of Russia to account for United
States military personnel who engaged in activities re-
lated to the Cold War;
Whereas the Department of Defense estimates that there are
over 10,000 members of the Armed Forces and others
who as a result of activities during the Korean War or
the Vietnam War were placed in a missing status or a
prisoner of war status, or who were determined to have
been killed in action although the body was not recov-
ered, and who remain unaccounted for;
Whereas since 1996 the United States has recovered the re-
mains of 42 United States servicemembers from North
Korea, nine of whom were recovered as recently as 1998;
Whereas through the work of the United States-Russia Joint
Commission on POW/MIAs, the remains of 18 United
States servicemembers whose aircraft were shot down
during the Cold War have been recovered and identified,
with more than 120 recovered remains still unaccounted
for;
•HCON 311 IH
Whereas recent advances in forensic medicine and DNA anal-
ysis technology have improved the ability of the Depart-
ment of Defense to identify the remains of recovered un-
knowns;
Whereas, notwithstanding the matters stated in the fore-
going, the Defense Missing Persons Office of the Depart-
ment of Defense has prepared a draft of a long-term
strategic plan to consolidate the personnel recovery and
accounting operations of the Department of Defense by
2004 which, if implemented, could result in a reduction
of United States search and recovery efforts for unac-
counted persons; and
Whereas the United States should continue to actively pursue
efforts to achieve a full accounting of unaccounted for
persons from past wars, including recovery and identifica-
tion of remains: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress—
(1) that the United States should continue to
actively pursue a full accounting of all members of
the Armed Forces (and others) who remain unac-
counted for from past conflicts (particularly the Ko-
rean War and the Vietnam War) and, as part of ef-
forts to continue to actively pursue such a full
accounting—
(A) the Secretary of Defense should con-
tinue at current levels activities to analyze, in-
vestigate, search for, and account for persons