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IFF - IG friend or foe?

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Craig Cady
  • 305th Air Mobility Wing Inspector General
McGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. --  In the aviation world, aircraft are identified by a black box called an IFF (Identification, Friend or Foe). It tells air traffic control and air defense entities whether an aircraft is friendly or not. Unfortunately, your local Inspector General doesn't have a black box (or a sign over their head for that matter) for you to know whether we are the good guys or not. 

The term IG is tossed around with an assumed understanding of our functions that is often not quite correct. Within the IG world you will find both inspections and complaints resolution. Air Mobility Command bases do not maintain IG inspectors at the present time -- those are solely at the MAJCOM level. Your installation-level IG is solely devoted to complaints resolution. When we tell you we are from the IG, and we are here to help you -- it's true! 

Approximately 75 percent of visits to our office involve assisting individuals when they don't know where to turn. Although rare, the IG by law is required to investigate allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse, reprisal, restriction, and improper mental health evaluation in accordance with AFI 90-301. All federal employees are protected by law under the Whistleblower Protection Act from being reprised against, by their supervisor or commander, for contacting a member of Congress or the IG. Additionally, it is illegal under DoD policy to restrict subordinates from contacting the IG or a member of Congress. Punishment by the UCMJ is reserved for leaders who do such things. 

If you are a supervisor, first sergeant, or commander, never state or imply by your words or actions that members of your unit cannot seek out the IG or a member of Congress with a complaint. Offer to address it at the lowest level yes, but never suggest it be kept in house. Additionally, commanders are the only leaders who can direct mental health evaluations. DoD Instruction 6490.4 spells out the steps to process both routine and emergency referrals to mental health. If in doubt, contact the IG, Legal and/or Mental Health for assistance. Members have rights associated with these referrals and the DoD IG is keen to ensure commanders properly execute duties associated with this type of care for personnel. 

As everyone who arrives at McGuire AFB learns at the First-Term Airman's Center or at the base newcomers briefing, the IG is here to assist you as unbiased fact-finders -- ombudsman if you will. We operate in the best interest of the Air Force to see that the law is being complied with. Should you visit our office, the first question we will ask is whether you raised this issue with your supervisor, first sergeant and/or commander. If not, why not? If so, what was the result, and why don't you accept the solution/answer given? Your chain of command is your first and best resource for resolving the vast majority of issues you face. They know you, your situation, the organization of the Air Force, helping agencies on the base and more. Give them a chance to resolve your issue. If you don't, the IG will most likely end up going back to them as part of the resolution process -- it will only take longer than if you asked them directly. 

Regardless of the reason for contacting the IG, most cases we see could have been resolved within the unit using two simple actions -- communication and follow through. Commanders and supervisors surely have heard the adage that bad news never gets better with time. The IG corollary to that is that a complaint from a subordinate never gets solved by slow rolling or ignoring it. When that happens, the complainant simply assumes that leadership doesn't care or sides with the subject of the complaint and then your IG gets to meet them! Regular, timely, accurate information to the complainant plus completion of promised actions prevents these issues from exploding into formal IG complaints. If you thought you didn't have the time to address the issue at its lowest level, you definitely don't have the time for the disruption caused by the IG tromping around your unit trying to get to the bottom of it. 

Ultimately, our collective goal is to maintain public trust while enhancing military capability by resolving problems at the lowest level possible. This directly enables mission excellence and develops future leaders by demonstrating problem solving, communication and accountability. Finally, it preserves our most precious resource by keeping them focused on mission excellence. Whether you are a commander with questions about the mental health evaluation referral process or an individual needing an unbiased fact finder to assist -- your installation IG is here to help!