Since the mid-1980s, relations between the United States and Laos have been largely based on accounting for those persons classified as prisoner of war/missing in action (POW/MIA) in Laos from the Indochina wars (1946-75) and on counternarcotics issues (see Narcotics and Counternarcotics Issues , this ch.; The Origins of the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Question , ch. 1; Bilateral Relations , ch. 4). In February 1985, a Laotian-United States team conducted the first joint excavation of a plane crash site, resulting in the identification of the remains of thirteen missing servicemen. Progress in Laos-United States relations accelerated after 1988, with Laos agreeing to expand POW/MIA activities. The two countries have conducted numerous site surveys and recovery operations since January 1989.
Data as of July 1994