The NGA Ombudsman is an informal resource to help answer questions and resolve concerns from employees and external consumers of NGA products.
Ethical Standards- Independent. The Ombudsman operates independently and is authorized by the Director of NGA to have direct access to all personnel and information necessary to address issues.
- Confidential. The Ombudsman holds all communications with those seeking assistance in strict confidence and takes all reasonable steps to safeguard both anonymity and confidentiality.
- Impartial. The Ombudsman is NGA's designated neutral third party and does not advocate on behalf of any individual. Impartiality does not preclude the Ombudsman from advocating for positive organizational changes.
- Informal. As an informal resource, the Ombudsman does not serve as part of any formal grievance or complaint process; accept or provide official notice of an alleged violation; serve as a witness or testify in formal proceedings; or conduct formal investigations or issue investigative reports.
Why an Ombudsman?- Informally handle cases that do not implicate violations of law, rule, or regulation.
- Assist customers seeking explanation on policies and procedures.
- Explore non-adversarial approaches for resolving concerns.
- Receive and provide real-time feedback.
- Address complaints regarding politicization or distortion of intelligence products.
- Raise awareness of and responsiveness to internal priorities.
- Serve as an early warning mechanism.
- Facilitate diplomacy in the most complex and sensitive situations.
- Focus on systematic issues and conflict-prevention strategies.
- Foster atmosphere of trust, fairness, equity, and respect.
- Contribute to improvements in program integrity, efficiency, and cost effectiveness.
- Increase professionalism in the workplace.
- Improve leadership effectiveness and accountability.
You can contact the NGA Ombudsman at ombuds@nga.mil or 571-557-4777.