A new Army directive is shaking up how the service handles soldiers who vanish from duty, promising a faster response to protect both troops and their loved ones.
Under this policy, a soldier unreported for duty within three hours is labeled "absent-unknown" on the unit roster, and if they remain missing for eight hours, family members must be notified, as detailed by The Washington Times.
This marks a sharp pivot from the old 48-hour wait before considering a soldier AWOL, reflecting a renewed focus on urgency and care from the Army's top brass.
Urgency Over Delay in Soldier Accountability
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who issued the directive, emphasized a commitment to never abandoning a soldier, stating, "The Army will always place people first and will never leave a soldier behind."
That sentiment sounds noble, but let's be frank: it’s long overdue when you consider past failures that left families in agonizing limbo for far too long.
The directive pushes unit leaders and Army law enforcement to act swiftly, issuing BOLO alerts to local police and logging cases into the National Crime Information Center database to widen the search net.
Lessons from a Tragic Past Case
This policy shift comes after intense criticism over mishandled cases, most notably the horrific murder of Spc. Vanessa Guillen on April 22, 2020, at Fort Hood, Texas, where she was killed by a fellow soldier and her remains weren’t found for over two months.
An Army investigation later revealed her unit failed to follow proper accountability standards, a glaring lapse that likely delayed critical action during a time complicated by COVID-19 shelter-in-place rules.
Vanessa’s sister, Mayra Guillen, reacted to the new policy with raw emotion on X, writing, "It feels like it was just yesterday," adding that the safety of service members remains paramount.
Clear Steps for Commanders Under Fire
If a soldier isn’t located within 48 hours, commanders must decide whether the absence is voluntary or involuntary, using a detailed checklist that includes checking local medical facilities and consulting fellow troops.
Should evidence point to an involuntary disappearance or remain inconclusive, the soldier is reported as "missing," a designation that carries weight, especially if self-harm risks are flagged, as Driscoll’s directive underscores.
Army law enforcement then has just three hours to enter the case into the ALERTS system, ensuring civilian agencies are looped in via the NCIC database to assist if the missing soldier surfaces outside military jurisdiction.
A Policy That Could Rewrite Outcomes
Attorney Natalie Khawam, who represented the Guillen family, praised the update, noting, "If they had this policy in place at the time Vanessa went missing, the Army would have quickly contacted the police and actually started searching for her themselves."
She’s right to point out the potential impact, as past delays turned manageable situations into irreversible tragedies, a reality no family should endure when their loved one serves the nation.
While the Army deserves credit for tightening its grip on accountability, the real test lies in execution; fine words in a memo won’t matter if commanders and systems falter when the clock is ticking.
