November 26, 2008 – Effective December 12, 2008, the Federal Acquisition Regulation will require Defense contractors to make timely notification when credible evidence exists of certain violations of criminal law and violations of the civil False Claims Act in connections with the award or performance of contracts.

Defense contractors should make these disclosures in writing to the Inspector General, DoD. An online contractor disclosure submission system is planned in the near future. For additional information click here or click on the link in the column at left.

November 21, 2008 – The Department of Defense Inspector General released the “FY 2009 Update to the Comprehensive Audit Plan for Southwest Asia.”  The plan was facilitated by the DoD IG Southwest Asia Joint Planning Group and includes the individual audit plans of the Inspectors General of the Department of Defense, Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development; and the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. 

The plan also includes the planned audit work of the U.S. Army Audit Agency, Naval Audit Service, Air Force Audit Agency, and Defense Contract Audit Agency because of the major contributions they make to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of support to the military.  The recently appointed Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction was briefed on the update effort and that office will provide its planned and ongoing oversight efforts in the next update to the plan.  (more)

November 13, 2008 – Acting DoD Inspector General Gordon S. Heddell recently returned from a trip to Southwest Asia, where he met with senior U.S. military commanders and members of the Iraqi inspectors general community.

Mr. Heddell also reviewed DoD IG operations and met with DoD IG auditors, investigators and inspectors in Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq, as well as with Afghanistan-assigned personnel.  

In Iraq, Mr. Heddell met with Gen Ray Odierno, Commander, Multi-National Forces – Iraq, to discuss on-going and future audit activities.  He also met with Lt. Gen.  Frank Helmick, Commander, Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq.

Mr. Heddell, accompanied by Ambassador Kenneth P. Moorefield, Assistant Inspector General for Special Plans and Operations, also traveled to Taji where they met with Brig. Gen. Steve Salazaar, Commanding General Coalition Military Assistance Training Team Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq.   

In Kuwait, Mr. Heddell met with the U.S. Army Central Deputy Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Charles Anderson, to discuss audit activities and operations in theater. Mr. Heddell participated in a tour of Camp Arifijan and later visited the Life Support Area at Ali Al Saleem Air Base to see the in-flow and out-flow of personnel at the transportation hub for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

In Qatar, he received a command briefing from Maj. Gen. Douglas Raaberg, Deputy Combined Force Air Component Commander, U.S. Central Command, at Al Udid Air Base.  With the base engineer, he toured the construction expansion of Al Udid Air Base that will host CENTCOM (Forward) and Special Operations Command (SOCOM) (Forward) headquarters.  

November 7, 2008 – Senior members of the inspectors general community from Afghanistan visited with Acting DoD Inspector General Gordon S. Heddell, who provided them with an organizational briefing and a tour of the DoD Hotline facilities. 

The group was led by Maj. Gen. Sardar Mohammad Abul Fazil, the Afghanistan Ministry of Defense Inspector General, and Brig. Gen. Abdul Rashid, Deputy Inspector General for the Afghanistan National Army General Staff Office of Inspector General.

The visit allowed the members of the group to see where their respective organizations are in comparison with the U.S. organizations and programs upon which their agencies are modeled.