The Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General Hotline ("Defense Hotline") is an important avenue for reporting fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement regarding programs and personnel under the purview of the U.S. Department of Defense.  The Defense Hotline continues its primary mission of providing a confidential and reliable vehicle for military service members, DoD civilians, contractor employees and the public to report fraud, waste, mismanagement, abuse of authority, threats to homeland defense and leaks of classified information. 

The Defense Hotline received 20,402 contacts within the past year, and has processed over 375,000 since its inception.  As a result of the initiation of Defense Hotline investigations, the Government saved or recovered over $551.5 million.  More importantly, many of the cases resulted in safer products and equipment for our military personnel and Defense Department employees.

The Defense Hotline is staffed by professional investigators.  They are knowledgeable of military, criminal and civil laws and procedures; Defense Department and military services regulations; Defense contracting procedures; as well as provisions of agency ethics regulations. Complaints are received, evaluated, investigated, and corrective measures are instituted. Complaints appropriate for inquiry are referred to the appropriate inspector general, Defense agency or organization, or investigative agency for inquiry, investigation, or other appropriate action. All completed investigations are then reviewed by our office to assure independence and thoroughness. The Hotline staff works closely with the military services and Defense agencies Inspector General points of contact to ensure that complaints are efficiently and effectively investigated and reported.

Our primary responsibility is to receive and evaluate your concerns and complaints, and to determine the agency responsible to take appropriate action.  In many instances, Defense Hotline investigators can provide information which may answer your questions or address your concerns, in lieu of filing a complaint. The Defense Hotline is staffed and available to answer your calls Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., (ET).

You are currently on a DoD Unclassified Internet Site.  As such, the Defense Hotline web pages you are currently viewing are designed to convey information pertaining to the filing of unclassified hotline complaints.  For information on how to file classified complaints, you may visit the 'Classified Complaints' page.

As the DoD Hotline provides an avenue to report fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement regarding programs and personnel under the purview of the U.S. Department of Defense, our office is not equipped or staffed to handle immediate 911 type emergencies, or matters that require urgent police or medical attention.  Contact your nearest emergency services department and/or law enforcement officials for assistance.

To view types of complaints and issues our office handles, please take a moment to review the 'Read Before Filing' page, as well as the 'Frequently Asked Questions' page.  In tandem, both pages contain valuable information regarding what types of issues are appropriate for Defense Hotline review, and additionally provides useful links highlighting other available avenues and resources, which may expeditiously resolve your matter.

If you believe you have experienced reprisal, please carefully read the 'Reprisal Complaints' page, and fill out and submit the special complaint form via that page.

If you have any questions, please phone the Defense Hotline at 1-800-424-9098.