Michael C . Flowers Brigadier General U . S . Army ( ret ) Michael C . Flowers , is a former commander of the Joint POW / MIA Accounting Command ( JPAC ) . The mission of JPAC is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result of the nation ' s past conflicts . Flowers graduated from the University of Kansas in 1977 with a Bachelor of General Studies with emphasis in history . In 1997 , he earned a master ' s degree in public administration from Shippensburg University . He is also a graduate of the U . S . Army War College . Flowers has held a variety of command and staff positions throughout his 30 + years of service . He has also deployed to multiple military operations including Operation URGENT FURY ( Grenada ) ; Operations DESERT SHIELD and STORM Saudi Arabia and Iraq ; and Operations RESTORE and UPHOLD DEMOCRACY ( Haiti ) and JOINT GUARDIAN ( Kosovo ) . Flowers ' prior assignment was as the chief of staff , NATO Kosovo Force ( KFOR ) , Pristina , Kosovo , from July 2004 until June 2005 . In July 1997 , he assumed command of the 18th Aviation Brigade ( Corps ) ( Airborne ) , XVIII Airborne Corps , Fort Bragg , North Carolina . He also served as the XVIII Airborne Corps Aviation Officer . In July 1999 , he relinquished command and served as the chief , Joint Exercises and Training , then later , Chief , Operations plans division , J - 3 , United States European Command , Stuttgart , Germany . Flowers then assumed the responsibilities of director , Center of Army Leadership , U . S . Army Command and General Staff College , Fort Leavenworth , Kansas , from August 2001 until June 2003 . From that assignment , he became the director , human resources policy directorate , office of the deputy chief of staff , G - 1 , United States Army , Washington D . C . Flowers ' personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal ( three awards ) , the Legion of Merit ( three awards ) , the Bronze Star Medal , the Defense Meritorious Service Medal , the Meritorious Service Medal ( four awards ) and the Air Medal . He also possesses the Senior Army Aviator Badge , the Master Parachutist Badge , French , German & British Parachutist Badge , and is Ranger qualified . He is rated in the UH60 Blackhawk , UH1 Huey , AH1 Cobra , OH58A / C Kiowa and OH58D Kiowa Warrior He has a wealth of experience in foreign negotiations and operations . He has been a member of the Multi - National Force and Observers in Sinai , Egypt . Below are two examples of his foreign negotiations . On September 1 , 2006 , members of the Lao People ’ s Democratic Republic and U . S . delegations , led by Brigadier General Michael Flowers , including Ambassador Patricia Haslach and Mr . Southam Sakonhninhom conducted Consultative Talks in Vientiane , Laos . These consultative talks , first held in 1989 , form the basis of conducting JPAC search and recovery operations in the Lao PDR . March 2006 , U . S . and Vietnamese officials met in Hanoi , Vietnam recently for the second round of Technical Talks this year . The talks were led by Brig . Gen . Michael Flowers , Commander of the Joint POW / MIA Accounting Command . The U . S . Ambassador to Vietnam , the Honorable Michael Marine , also participated in the talks along with DoD officials from Washington D . C . Vietnamese officials included the newly appointed director of the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons , Nguyen Ba Hung , along with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense . BG Flowers routinely hosted technical and consultative talks with senior officials worldwide to address topics specific to JPAC operations in those countries . JPAC negotiations ensure positive in - country conditions are maintained or established for investigative and recovery operations .