The United States Armed Forces, in Joint Publication 3-50 Personnel Recovery, defines personnel recovery as "the sum of military, diplomatic, and civil efforts to prepare for and execute the recovery and reintegration of isolated personnel." The Joint Personnel Recovery Agency is the Chairman's Controlled Activity and is designated as DoD's office of primary responsibility for DoD-wide personnel recovery (PR) matters, less policy. The European Personnel Recovery Centre facilitates the harmonisation of personnel recovery policy, doctrine and standards through clear lines of communications with partners stakeholders (nations and international organizations).

The five PR execution tasks