April 5, 2011 - The Department of Defense Inspector General and the Southwest Asia Joint Planning Group have issued the FY 2011 Update to the Comprehensive Oversight Plan for Southwest Asia and Surrounding Areas (Report No. SDIG-SWA-11-01). To view the FY 2011 Update click here.

The Comprehensive Oversight Plan incorporates the planned and ongoing oversight by the members of the Southwest Asia Planning Group which include: the Inspectors General of the Department of Defense, Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development; the Special Inspectors General for Iraq Reconstruction and Afghanistan Reconstruction; the Army Audit Agency; the Naval Audit Service; and the Air Force Audit Agency.

To read more of the FY 2011 Comprehensive Oversight Plan for Southwest Asia and Surrounding Areas Issued article, click here.

February 8, 2010 - Mr. James Burch, DoD Deputy Inspector General for Investigations, and Mr. G. Tracy Burnett, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, International Operations, recently traveled to Southwest Asia (SWA) and Germany to assess Defense Criminal Investigative Service operations in those areas.

December 9, 2010 – Brig. Gen. Dawood Salman Jabbar Al-Ogaili, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior Assistant Deputy Inspector General, and three members of his staff, met recently with Inspector General Gordon S. Heddell to discuss their plans for the formulation of an Inspector General Training University within the Iraqi Interior Ministry.

Brig. Gen. Dawood and the other three staff members are attending the U.S. Army Inspector General School at Fort Belvoir, under the sponsorship of the U.S. Forces–Iraq Training and Advisory mission. Their purpose is to become familiar with course content and instruction techniques as part of their curriculum development process.

Brig. Gen. Dawood conveyed to Mr. Heddell, on behalf of the Ministry of Interior Inspector General, Akeel Saeed Al-Turaihi, their deep appreciation for the mentorship and guidance the DoD IG has provided in support of their continuing development of an independent, effective and sustainable inspector general organization.

December 1, 2010 – DoD Inspector General Gordon S. Heddell recently returned from his third trip to Southwest Asia where he met with deployed DoD IG personnel, 15 U.S. general officers, two non-U.S. general officers, and additional senior commanders in order to evaluate the role of the DoD IG in Afghanistan and Kuwait.

Among those Mr. Heddell met with during his six-day trip were Lt. Gen. David M. Rodriguez, Commander, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, Dr. Jack D. Kem, Deputy to the Commander, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, Maj. Gen. Peter M. Vangel, Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Central, Maj. Gen. Timothy P. McHale, Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan, Maj. Gen. John F. Campbell, Commanding General, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)/Combined Joint Task Force-76, and Maj. Gen. James L. Terry, Commanding General, 10th Mountain Division (Light).  Mr. Heddell also met with senior leaders in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and the Kuwait Ministry of Defense Inspector General.  (more)

November 18, 2010 –DoD Inspector General Gordon S. Heddell testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight on “Oversight of Reconstruction Contracts in Afghanistan and the Role of the Special Inspector General.”

The hearing was the fourth in a series held by the Subcommittee chaired by Sen. Claire McCaskill on oversight of government contracts in Afghanistan.  The purpose of the hearing was to examine the role of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) in providing independent oversight of reconstruction contracts in Afghanistan.  

Mr. Heddell was on the third panel, which also included: Mr. Harold W. Geisel, Deputy Inspector General , U.S. Department of State; Mr. Michael G. Carroll, Deputy Inspector General, U.S. Agency for International Development; and the Honorable Stuart W. Bowen, Jr. , Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.

Testifying on the first panel were the Honorable Jon T. Rymer, Inspector General, U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Chair, Audit Committee, Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency; and the Honorable Richard Moore, Inspector General,  U.S. Tennessee Valley Authority and Chair, Investigation Committee, Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.

The Honorable Arnold Fields, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, testified on the second panel.

To see a copy of Mr. Heddell’s prepared statement, click here.  To see a copy of the DoD IG publication “Contingency Contracting: A Framework for Reform,” referenced by Mr. Heddell during the hearing, click here.

July 30, 2010 - The DoD Office of Inspector General continues to step up the pace of itsactivities in Afghanistan and in other parts of Southwest Asia. 

An audit team from the DoD IG Audit Office (Forward) – Afghanistan has been traveling to various sites throughout the country to determine whether training activities will allow the Afghan National Army to achieve a self-sufficient fleet maintenance capacity, and determine whether interim contractor-provided support services are effective.  

The trip is being conducted as part of the audit of a $233 million contract awarded by CSTC-A to train the ANA maintenance workforce in fleet maintenance and support.   In addition to training the ANA to maintain its own fleet, the contractor is also required to directly perform needed support until such time as ANA maintenance capability is established. (more)

July 12, 2010 – Department of Defense Inspector General Gordon S. Heddell today presented the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism to 53 DoD IG civilian personnel in recognition of their service in Southwest Asia. 

The presentations were made during the DoD Inspector General Twenty-First Annual Honorary Awards Ceremony, where Mr. Heddell also presented 43 other civilian awards, including the Distinguished Service Award, Superior Civilian Service Award, and Meritorious Civilian Service Award.

The GWOT medal is awarded to civilian employees of the DoD who, on or after September 11, 2001, participated abroad in direct support of a U.S. military GWOT operation in a location designated as an area of eligibility for that operation. Personnel must have been engaged in direct support for 30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days, or have been killed or medically evacuated from the area of eligibility while providing direct support in the designated operation and location.

June 30, 2010 – Ms. Mary L. Ugone, Department of Defense Deputy Inspector General for Auditing, testified yesterday before the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, on “Contracting in Combat Zones: Who Are Our Subcontractors?”

Also testifying before the Subcommittee were Mr. Stuart W. Bowen, Jr., Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction; Mr. William M. Solis, Director, Defense Capabilities and Management, Government Accountability Office; and Mr. Richard Fontaine, Senior Fellow, Center for a New American Security.

Deputy Inspector General Ugone testified on a recently released report: D-2010-059, “Contingency Contracting: A Framework for Reform.”  To see that report, click here.

June 9, 2010 –  A DoD IG Assessment team, led by Ambassador Kenneth P. Moorefield, Deputy Inspector General for Special Plans & Operations, recently returned from conducting fieldwork in Iraq on the “Assessment of U.S. Government Efforts to Develop the Logistics Sustainment Capability of the Iraqi Security Forces.”

The team visited more than 20 U.S. Forces-Iraq and 30 Iraqi Security Forces locations, from the Taji General Depot and the Al Asad Location Commands, to the Baghdad Police College and the Directorate of Border Enforcement’s 3rd Regional Maintenance Facility, located close to the Iraqi border with Iran.

During their visit, the team met with Lt. Gen. Michael Barbero, USA, USF-I Deputy Commanding General (Advising and Training), Lt. Gen. Kenneth W. Hunzeker, Deputy Commanding General (Support), USF-I, and other senior military officers and staff. (more)

June 2, 2010 – DoD Special Deputy Inspector General for Southwest Asia Joseph T. "Mickey" McDermott recently returned from his second trip this year to Iraq where he met with deployed DoD IG personnel, general officers, and additional external oversight agencies' representatives in order to assess the expanding role of federal oversight during Iraq's critical retrograde period.

Among those Mr. McDermott met with during his three-day trip were Lt. Gen. Kenneth W. Hunzeker, Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces-Iraq (USF-I); Maj. Gen. James M. McDonald, Director and J-3 (Operations), U.S. Forces-Iraq; Brig. Gen. Camille M. Nichols, Commanding General, Joint Contracting Command for Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as with other senior military officers involved with finance and logistics. (more)

May 7, 2010 – A delegation of inspectors general from Afghanistan today met with DoDInspector General Gordon S. Heddell.  The Afghan IGs are visiting the United States to learn more about how the various federal IG systems work. 

The Afghan IGs meeting with Mr. Heddell included Maj. Gen. Jan Khan "Sepha," Afghan National Army IG; Maj. Gen. Muhammad Wakil Akbari, Afghan Ministry of the Interior IG; Brigadier Gen. Muhammad Amir Baqaie, Ministry of Defense Deputy IG; Brig. Gen. Abdul Rashid Haidari, General Staff Deputy IG; Brig. Gen. Jamiullah, Ministry of the Interior Deputy IG.

After their meeting with Mr. Heddell, the Afghan IGs spent the day being briefed and having meetings with the various components on their operation within the DoD IG and the Department of Defense.

March 3, 2010 – On behalf of the participating members, the Department of Defense Inspector General released the “FY 2010 Update to the Comprehensive Oversight Plan for Southwest Asia and Surrounding Areas.” The Southwest Asia Joint Planning Group facilitated the compilation and issuance of the FY 2010 Comprehensive Oversight Plan for Southwest Asia and Surrounding Areas in response to the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act.

The plan incorporates the planned and ongoing oversight of the Inspectors General of the Department of Defense, Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development; the Special Inspectors General for Iraq Reconstruction and Afghanistan Reconstruction; the Army Audit Agency; the Naval Audit Service; the Air Force Audit Agency; and the Defense Contract Audit Agency. Additionally, the FY 2010 update includes the Government Accountability Office ongoing oversight efforts related to Southwest Asia. (more)

February 23, 2010 – A Special Plans and Operations (SPO) team from the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General is conducting ongoing oversight in Iraq and Kuwait relating to the drawdown of United States military forces from Iraq.  

While in Kuwait and Iraq, the SPO team visited logistical planners with the respective military commands to evaluate drawdown planning.  The team went to the Kuwait-Iraq border to review border crossing procedures, and to the ports at Kuwait Naval Base and Shuaiba to determine whether staging areas could support increased throughput of cargo and equipment. 

In Iraq, the SPO team visited Al Asad Air Base to observe the execution of drawdown operations and discuss lessons learned with Multi-National Forces-West officials; and also Joint Base Balad to discuss intra-theater transportation planning, capabilities, and execution with 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) officials.  (more)

January 28, 2010 – Auditors from the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General are conducting three audits in Iraq and two in Kuwait as part of the agency’s oversight of the drawdown of United States military forces in that area.

The auditors are focusing on the controls over the accountability and disposition of government purchased property (GFP) acquired under the Army’s Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP).

DoD IG auditors are also looking at the processes in place for the identification and disposition of excess military equipment; controls over the receipt, coding, and disposition of equipment at the Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO) and Theater Retrograde; and the drawdown of contractor personnel.

December 18, 2009 – Ambassador (Ret.) Kenneth P. Moorefield, DoD Assistant InspectorGeneral for Special Plans and Operations, today testified before the Commission on Wartime Contracting on “Risks and Challenges Associated with Afghan National Security Forces Training Contracts.”

Ambassador Moorefield testified on the first of three panels that appeared before the Commission. To see a copy of his prepared statement, click here.

Scheduled to testify on the second panel were Lt. Gen. Richard Formica, U.S. Army, former commander of Combined Security Transition Command–Afghanistan; Mr. David T. Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement; and Mr. Michael Strain, Program Executive, Counter Narcoterrorism Technology Program Office, Department of Defense. Contractors involved in the training of Afghan Security Forces were scheduled to testify on the third panel.

November 24, 2009 – Engineers from the DoD IG Office of Policy and Oversight, Technical Assessment Directorate were dispatched to Southwest Asia to assist auditors in inspecting recently identified electrical problems at contractor-maintained U.S. facilities around Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan.

A DoD IG team inspecting the facilities initially found what appeared to be potential shock hazards, so they called upon P&O engineers for assistance. Shortly after arriving on November 11, 2009, the engineers identified electrical problems that presented a significant risk to personnel and notified proper authorities of the anomalies.

As a result of those and other findings, the DoD IG Office of Audit announced a new audit of facilities in that area titled “Maintenance of Electrical Wiring in Buildings at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan” (D2010‑D000JB-0078.000). (more)

October 29, 2009 –DoD Inspector General Gordon S. Heddell recently returned from his second trip to Southwest Asia where he met with 17 general officers and additional senior field commanders in order to assess the expanding role of the DoD IG in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Among those Mr. Heddell met with during his seven-day trip were Gen. David H. Petraeus, Commander, U.S. Central Command; Gen. Raymond Odierno, Commanding General, Multi-National Force – Iraq; and Gen. Stanley McChrystal,  Commander, International Security Assistance Force and Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan. Mr. Heddell also met with senior leaders in the Ministries of Defense of Afghanistan and Iraq.   

Mr. Heddell repeatedly stressed that the oversight mission of the DoD IG in Southwest Asia is one of his top priorities and that a new position had been created, the Special Deputy Inspector General for Southwest Asia, in order to improve communications and address mission requirements in the region. 

September 9, 2009 – DoD Inspector General Gordon S. Heddell testified today before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs at a hearing titled “Afghanistan and Pakistan: Accountability Community Oversight of a New Interagency Strategy.”

Other witnesses at the hearing included: Maj. Gen. Arnold Fields, USMC (Ret.), Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction; Mr. Harold Geisel, Inspector General, U.S. Department of State; Mr. Donald Gambatesa, Inspector General, U.S. Agency for International Development; and Ms. Jacquelyn Williams-Bridgers, Managing Director, International Affairs and Trade, Government Accountability Office.

To see a copy of the written statement submitted by Mr. Heddell, click here.

April 15, 2009 – The DoD IG Special Plans and Operations (SPO) team has returned to Headquarters after spending 24 days on a field assessment conducted at various sites throughout Afghanistan.

The SPO team, led by retired Ambassador Kenneth K. Moorefield, Assistant Inspector General for SPO, met with senior officials, including the Ministers of Defense and Interior of the Government of Afghanistan; Maj. Gen. Richard P. Formica, Commanding General, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan; and Brig. Gen. Steven P. Huber, Commander, Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix VIII.

The 17-member team included 11 SPO civilian and military staff and six other personnel from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Department of the Army, the Army National Guard Bureau, the Army Reserve, and the DoD IG Columbus Audit Field Office. 

The team was organized into sub-teams that visited NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Regional Commands, Afghan Army Corps Commands, and numerous Army and Police units throughout the country at locations including Kandahar, Gardez, Mazur-e Sharif, Kabul, and Bagram. 

The teams assessed weapons accountability, the train and equip mission for the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), and medical logistics sustainability within the ANSF.

March 12, 2009 – Department of Defense Office of Inspector General employees who are eligible to receive the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) will be recognized at the 20th Annual Inspector General Honorary Awards Ceremony to be held later this year. 

The Secretary of Defense GWOT Medal was created to recognize and honor the contributions of the DoD civilian workforce in direct support of military members engaged in operations to combat terrorism.

The criteria for the medal is aligned as closely as possible with that of the GWOT Expeditionary Medal awarded to U.S. military members. (more)

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.   

October 24, 2008 – A team from Investigative Policy and Oversight (IPO) was in Iraq recently to conduct interviews as part of a DoD IG review of electrocution deaths of service members in Iraq.

The team, led by Mr. James Pavlik, Assistant Inspector General for IPO, met with General Ray Odierno, Commanding General Multi-National Force – Iraq, as well as with other senior military leaders, commanders at the various levels, facility maintenance officials, engineers and inspectors general. 

Interviews conducted by the team focused on determining the extent to which service members and DoD civilian personnel were aware of electrical safety issues and had initiated actions to mitigate the safety risk to personnel.

October 20, 2008 – Lt. Gen. Anwar Hamad Amen Ahmed, the Iraqi Army Joint Headquarters Inspector General, met with Acting Inspector General Gordon S. Heddell today and was briefed on the mission of the DoD IG.

Also present for the briefing were Lt Gen. Ronald F. Sams, U.S. Air Force Inspector General, and Mr. R. David Holmgren, U.S. Marine Corps Acting Inspector General, along with other representatives from the DoD inspectors general community. 

Lt. Gen. Anwar is in the United States to meet with senior DoD officials to discuss issues such as Iraqi force structure, adequacy of facilities, transportation and logistics support. 

September 26, 2008 – Representatives from the International Contract Corruption Task Force (ICCTF), including Special Agent Robert Koons, the DCIS Mid-Atlantic Field Office’s Southwest Asia Theater Operations Manager, met with Robert S. Mueller, III, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), at the New Embassy Complex, Baghdad, Iraq. 

Members of the task force discussed numerous issues with Director Mueller, to include the importance of continuing to work cooperatively to counter fraud, waste, and abuse impacting DoD operations in Southwest Asia, and recent efforts relating to development of leads and sources in Iraq.  The meeting was held on September 23, 2008.

Agencies represented at the meeting include DCIS; the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction; the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, Major Procurement Fraud Unit; and the FBI.  ICCTF consists of a group of Federal agencies that have agreed to formalize efforts to collectively investigate and prosecute cases of contract fraud and public corruption related to U.S. government spending involving Iraq military operations and reconstruction.

September 15, 2008 – Supervisors from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office (MAFO) recently toured DCIS offices located throughout Southwest Asia. 

Special Agent in Charge James R. Ives, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Stanley Newell, and Resident Agent in Charge Lindy Savelle inspected offices in Kuwait City, Kuwait; Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan; Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq; and the International Zone, Baghdad, Iraq. 

Supervisors assessed DCIS’ current Southwest Asia operations, conducted case reviews, and discussed plans for potential expansion of Southwest Asia operations in the future. Supervisors used the opportunity to brief numerous representatives from military components regarding DCIS’ efforts to combat fraud, waste, and abuse which impact DoD operations throughout Southwest Asia. 

Throughout the course of the visit, supervisors had the opportunity to meet with DoD IG auditors assigned to theater, as well as counterparts at the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Army Audit Agency, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. State Department. 

May 13, 2008 – Four Defense Criminal Investigative Service special agents were recently honored at DoD IG Headquarters for their service in Southwest Asia.

DoD Inspector General Claude M. "Mick" Kicklighter, Principal Deputy Inspector General Thomas F. Gimble, Deputy Inspector General Charles Beardall, and DCIS Director Sharon Woods attended the ceremony. 

DCIS Director Woods presented each of the special agents with an award displaying the American bald eagle recognizing them for their service.  To date, 32 DCIS special agents have served in Southwest Asia.

February 12, 2008 – A former Army official, his wife, and a North Carolina businessman were indicted by a federal grand jury in Atlanta, GA, on bribery charges involving contracts to provide drinking water to U.S. troops overseas. 

The case was investigated by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID).  It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
 
"The Defense Criminal Investigative Service remains committed to protecting the interests of the brave men and women serving their country at home and abroad through aggressively investigating criminal activity which impacts their welfare," said Acting Director Sharon Woods. "Public corruption which threatens the interests of members of the military also causes Americans to lose faith in public officials, and leads to distrust in government. Especially alarming is the fact that this investigation involved contracts calling for production of safe drinking water for U.S. troops in geographical areas where water is scarce."
 
The contracts provided for training, maintenance and refurbishment of Reverse
Osmosis Water Purification Units (ROWPUs) used to make non-potable water
drinkable.  The ROWPUs were deployed to overseas locations including Iraq. (more)

October 23, 2007 –The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General has been presented with the Sentner Award for Dedication and Courage in recognition of its forward deployed presence in Southwest Asia. 

The presentation was made at the 10th Annual Awards Ceremony of the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE) and the Executive Council on Integrity and Efficiency (ECIE) held today at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington D.C.   

To read more about these and other awards presented to members of the DoD IG during the 10th Annual PCIE/ECIE Awards Ceremony, click here.

September 25, 2007 – Department of Defense Inspector General Claude M. “Mick” Kicklighter recently met with General Dan McNeill, Commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.  The meeting took place at the ISAF compound in Kabul.

Inspector General Kicklighter was in Afghanistan leading the interagency, inter-service Assessment Team for Munitions Accountability and briefed Gen. McNeill about the objectives of the Assessment Team.

The DoD Office of the Inspector General is working with several agencies to assess the effectiveness of the management and accountability of munitions and explosives provided to the Iraqi and Afghanistan security forces, and recommend corrective actions to address any oversight weaknesses identified.

April 16, 2007, Landstuhl, Germany –Mr. Brem Morrison, DoD Assistant Inspector General for Inspections and Evaluations (I&E), and members of his staff recently visited the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LMRC) to analyze the “deployed warrior” medical management process and the associated patient information systems.  The visit is part of the field work for the interagency DoD/ Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Care Transition Project.

Col. W. Bryan Gamble, LRMC Commander, and his staff briefed the I&E team on how they accomplish their mission and offered ideas on process improvements.  Other members of the I&E team included Col. Michael Luft, USAF; Mr. Stephen Chiusano, I&E senior analyst; and Lt. Cmdr. Robert Cooper, USN.  The visit was conducted March 21–23, 2007.

The purpose of the joint DoD/VA project is to evaluate laws, policies, and processes affecting service members injured in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and to improve how they transition from the DoD system of health care and other benefits to the VA.

March 12, 2007 – General David H. Petraeus, Commander, Multinational Force – Iraq, is shown visiting with a Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General (DoD OIG) audit team in Camp Victory near Baghdad.  Nineteen auditors from the DoD OIG have deployed to Iraq during the past year and a half for periods ranging from a few weeks to a year.  Some auditors have been deployed multiple times.

Auditors are generally sent as part of a team focused on a specific audit project. Currently, there are 15 ongoing audits being performed by the DoD OIG in support of the Global War on Terror (GWOT).

A list of completed, ongoing and planned GWOT-related audits is available on this web site.  To see them and get other information about what the DoD OIG is doing in Iraq and elsewhere, click here.