The mission
of the Inspector General's office is to enhance mission accomplishment
of Fort Jackson's units and organizations by identifying and recommending
solutions to performance inhibitors and resolving requests for assistance
from soldiers, family members and civilians of the Fort Jackson community.
What
is an Inspector General??
The Inspector
General is a personal staff officer of the commander, providing the
commander with a sounding board for sensitive issues. The IG is an
extension of the commander, his or her eyes, ears, and conscience.
The role of the Inspector General is to determine and report on the
economy, efficiency, discipline, morale, esprit de corps, readiness,
and resources of the command. In other words, the Inspector General
is interested in every aspect of the command. There are two categories
of Inspectors General:
Detailed
and Assistant IGs are officer and senior NCOs who serve
tours as full-time Inspectors General. These individuals are school
trained, and wear the IG insignia.
Acting
Inspectors General (AIGs) are commissioned officers who
perform limited IG functions. They receive complaints, but can only
act on matters which are administrative in nature (e.g., pay problems).
IG
Functions
The four
basic functions of the Inspector General are used to accomplish our
mission. Those functions are:
Assistance
- Anyone may submit a complaint or request for assistance to an
Army IG concerning matters of interest to the Army.
Inspection
- IGs conduct inspections at the direction of the commander. An
IG inspection may focus on organizations, functions or both and
may or may not be compliance oriented.
Investigation
- IGs only conduct investigations when directed by the commander.
The investigation will focus on violations of policy or regulations.
The commander may also direct an investigation into alleged mismanagement,
unethical behavior or misconduct.
Teaching
and Training - Teaching and training is integral part of
the first three funtions. IGs by their very nature possess a wealth
of knowledge and experience. They use this knowledge and experience
when assisting, inspecting and investigating to teach soldiers at
all levels about policies and procedures.
Things
to remember about the IG:
Anyone
can file a complaint/request for assistance, either orally or in
writing to the IG.
Soldiers
cannot be denied access to an IG. They do not have to go through
their chain of command. They do not need permission to call or see
an IG. They do need to exercise common sense and they cannot leave
their place of duty without permission.
No retribution
will be taken against a soldier who submits a complaint to an IG.
Anyone, however, who knowingly submits an untruthful statement to
an IG can be charged under the UCMJ.
What
can the IG do for Commanders?
IGs
can provide a great deal of assistance to commanders.
IGs
are linked worldwide through a technical channels and can gather
information quickly and confidentially.
IGs
work closely with soldier support agencies (Chaplain, JAG, Red Cross,
ACS, etc.) to resolve problems. The IG can help you get started
in the right directions.
What
the IG does not do:
IGs
do not provide legal reviews or opinions - these are provided by
the Staff Judge Advocate.
IGs
do not conduct criminal investigations - these are done by the Military
Police.
IGs
do not direct action. We may make suggestions to commanders but
commanders ultimately direct action.
