tig brief - Air Force Inspection Agency

organization of the air force
inspector general
Fulfilling the Mandate of the Inspector General Act of 1978
Lt. Col. Michael J. Andersen
AFIA/JA
Kirtland AFB
The Office of The
Inspector General
has existed in the
United States military in one
form or another since Colonial
days. More recently, Congress
established the Office of
Inspector General within the
various departments of our
government to include the
Department of Defense (DoD).
Enacted in 1978, Public Law
95-452 1 provides the framework
for an independent body within
each department. Commonly
known as The Inspector General
Act of 1978, 2 its purpose is to
create an independent and
objective office that is charged to
investigate and audit programs
and operations within their
respective departments. In
short, their jobs are to inspect,
investigate, and report. 3
By derivation, each of the
military departments within
the DoD is authorized an Office
of The Inspector General.
The mission of the Inspector
General (IG) of the Air Force
(SAF/IG) is to “independently
assess the readiness, discipline,
and efficiency of the Air
Force. SAF/IG is responsible
to the Secretary and Chief of
Staff for Air Force Inspection
Policy, Intelligence Oversight,
Criminal Investigations,
Counterintelligence Operations,
Complaints program, Fraud,
Waste and Abuse (FW&A)
program, the Air Force
Inspection Agency (AFIA), and
the Air Force Office of Special
Investigations (AFOSI).” 4
How then is the Air Force Inspector
General organized to carry out the
mandate of The IG Act of 1978?
The wiring diagram depicts
the current organization of
SAF/IG. 5 At the pinnacle, the
IG directs a diverse group of
experts who assist in meeting
the mandate to inspect,
investigate, and report.
AFIA: The Air Force
Inspection Agency supports
the IG in meeting his legal
mandate by training inspectors
and conducting oversight of the
inspection process. In addition,
AFIA provides independent,
timely inspections and
facilitates process improvement
and integration to advance
readiness, compliance, and
efficiency for the Air Force.
Inspections carried out by
AFIA include Health Services
Inspections, Compliance
Inspections, and Nuclear Surety
Inspections. 6
AFOSI: The Air Force
Office of Special Investigations
is a field operating agency
under the direction and
guidance of the SAF/IG. It
performs as a federal law
enforcement agency with
6 Summer 2011
responsibility for conducting
criminal investigations,
counterintelligence activities,
and specialized investigative
and force protection support for
the Air Force. 7
SAF/IGE: The Executive
Services Division supports
the IG in interpreting and
implementing administrative
policy and managing the
security and travel programs for
the SAF/IG staff. 8
SAF/IGI: The Inspections
Directorate develops policies,
planning, and program
evaluation for the Air
Force Inspection Program;
represents the IG and AFIA
on policy, planning, and
program evaluation matters
for inspection issues at the
Air Staff, Secretariat, and
Office of the Secretary of
Defense levels, as well
as with the Government
Accountability Office, DoD/IG,
and other agencies external
to the Air Force; manages
the intelligence oversight
program for the Air Staff and
Secretariat; performs special
assignments; and provides
management and advisory
service to the IG of the Air
Staff, and Secretariat. SAF/
IGI also prepares, coordinates,
and recommends changes
to the DoD, Air Force, and
IG policy directives relating
to inspections; prepares,
executes, and oversees