Edwards IG realigns objectives, responsibilities

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Julius Delos Reyes
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Subject to the ongoing cuts and belt-tightening throughout the Air Force, the Edwards Inspector General office is undergoing various adjustments that will reduce the size of the Edwards IG office and the amount of responsibilities from the IG office's shoulders. 

First and foremost, the installation Inspector General position will now be filled by a lieutenant colonel instead of a colonel -- a change that brings a new IG to Edwards -- Lt. Col. Gregory Ahlquist. 

Furthermore, the IG responsibilities will be divided between complaint resolution and exercise preparation with responsibility for exercises transferring to the 95th Air Base WIng Plans and Programs office.

"The IG is getting out of the business of planning and conducting operational readiness and emergency management exercises as well as preparing for operational inspections at the beginning of FY 08" said Colonel Ahlquist. "These tasks will now be the responsibility of the plans and programs office."

The Inspector General will still be responsible for complaints, unit compliant inspections and special interest items, he said. 

The shift in responsibilities is due to manpower cuts in the IG office. In the future, the IG office will consist of only Colonel Ahlquist and two civilian investigators. Despite the manpower downsizing, Colonel Ahlquist is confident the "right-sized" IG office can work whatever concerns base personnel bring to the office.

"I have great confidence that we will be able to handle whatever situations that will arise," Colonel Ahlquist said. 

There are three specific areas the Inspector General office investigates -- improper mental health evaluation referrals, restrictions and reprisals. 

"With mental health evaluation referrals, we have to be careful," Colonel Ahlquist said. "We first and foremost want the individual to get the mental health care he or she needs. As this is a sensitive issue, the Air Force has prescribed very specific processes for involuntarily referring an Airman for a mental health evaluation. The person's commander must be involved and the commander should consult with the 95th Medical Group and the base legal office for guidance. It's the IG's job to investigate cases where proper procedures were not followed to protect the intent and integrity of the system."

In the case of restriction, the key message is military members always have the right to communicate with members of their chain of command for the purpose of having a protected communication; an example of which is whistle-blowing. 

"If they feel their issue wasn't addressed properly by their first-line supervisor, they can follow their chain of command or go to the Inspector General," Colonel Ahlquist said. "Airmen always have the right to see the Inspector General." 

Supervisors or commanders can not forbid individuals to follow their chain of command for the purposes of having a protected communication or from visiting the IG office. Doing so constitutes restriction. 

Closely related to restriction is the issue of reprisal. Any unfavorable personnel action or favorable personnel action withheld or taken against an individual for having made a protected communication, could constitute reprisal. 

"Everyone should feel free to talk to the IG," Colonel Ahlquist said. "They shouldn't fear negative actions as a result. Commanders agree on the value of the IG office and the services we offer. Simply put, they can't fix problems they don't know about. We are here to serve the Edwards community as a place to surface problems so they can be appropriately addressed. The threat of reprisal defeats this purpose." 

Although tasked to investigate specific things, Colonel Ahlquist encourages anyone associated with Edwards to visit the IG if they don't know where else to turn. 

"I call it, the 'it just ain't right test,'" said Colonel Ahlquist. If members of Team Edwards find themselves saying, 'it just ain't right' and they don't know where else to turn to resolve the issue, come to the IG office. We'll help you." 

For more information on the IG office and the services it provides, call 277-4888.