Fy25 Vietnam Wartime Accounting Initiative Cooperative Agreements

The Department of Defense, through the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, has issued the Fiscal Year 2025 Vietnam Wartime Accounting Initiative Cooperative Agreements under funding opportunity number HQ003425NFOEASD10. This program is part of the U.S. commitment to addressing war legacy issues with Vietnam, focusing on the location and recovery of missing persons from the Vietnam War. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs provides oversight, ensuring the program aligns with U.S. objectives in strengthening the U.S.-Vietnam defense relationship. Since diplomatic relations were established, cooperation has expanded to political, economic, security, and humanitarian spheres, with war legacy issues serving as an important pillar of bilateral relations. The initiative responds to the continuing challenge of locating unaccounted-for personnel. At the end of hostilities in 1975, 2,646 U.S. personnel were missing, of whom 1,067 have since been repatriated as of August 2025. Vietnam has estimated that between 200,000 and 300,000 of its citizens remain missing. In 2018, the Government of Vietnam formally requested U.S. assistance in locating and identifying its unaccounted personnel, leading to cooperative engagements that support humanitarian objectives while strengthening bilateral defense cooperation. The program seeks to establish cooperative agreements with three pre-identified organizations, based on congressional direction outlined in Section 1245 of the FY22 National Defense Authorization Act, as amended by Section 1342 of the FY23 NDAA. The agreements will include a base year and up to four option years. The three specified activities include digitization and sharing of archival information with veteran-to-veteran exchanges through Texas Tech University, veteran exchanges and mass grave information analysis through Mission: POW-MIA, and public-private partnerships supporting Vietnam’s capacity to locate and recover missing persons through the U.S. ASEAN Business Council’s Institute. These targeted agreements reflect a strategic approach to combining archival research, grassroots veteran engagement, and international partnership building. Funding allocations under this notice are as follows: $540,536 for Texas Tech University, $284,590 for Mission: POW-MIA, and $500,000 for the U.S. ASEAN Business Council’s Institute. The awards are specifically limited to these three institutions; no other applicants are eligible. Allowable costs must adhere to federal restrictions, including prohibitions on certain telecommunications and surveillance equipment under 2 CFR § 200.216. Funds may be used for subawards, labor, travel, and other direct costs as outlined in each project’s budget. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov, using mandatory forms such as SF-424, SF-424B, SF-424A, and SF-LLL where applicable. Project narratives are limited to ten pages and must include problem statements, objectives, implementation approaches, key milestones, and detailed budgets. Applications must be unclassified and submitted in PDF format. Applicants must be registered in SAM.gov and Grants.gov to proceed, with waiver requests available in cases of foreign applicants unable to comply. Wide Area Workflow registration is also required for payment processing. Evaluation will follow the criteria outlined in 32 CFR 22.415, including technical merit, program alignment, and risk assessment. Budget and integrity checks will also be performed, including reviews through the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System. Pre-award notifications will be issued via email to selected recipients, though only a signed Notice of Award from a DoD grants officer provides official authorization to expend federal funds. Quarterly financial and performance reports will be required, with findings shared according to program purposes. Primary contacts for this program include Grants Officer Michael Fanizzo (michael.j.fanizzo.civ@mail.mil) and Program Office Contact Christopher Lindley (christopher.h.lindley.civ@mail.mil). Additional administrative support may be directed to Grants Specialist Diane Clarke (diane.r.clarke.civ@mail.mil). Awards are expected to be issued on a rolling basis after evaluations, with recipients required to maintain compliance with all federal policies and reporting standards. This program underscores the humanitarian and bilateral defense goals of both nations, fostering reconciliation and strengthening cooperation through collaborative efforts to resolve war legacies.