Inspector General Robert P. Storch announced today that the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG) released the report, “Whistleblower Restriction Investigation: Georgia Army National Guard, B Company, 221st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Gillem, Georgia.”
The DoD OIG conducted an investigation in response to a complaint alleging that the demeanor and questions of a U.S. Army colonel and a command sergeant major toward Soldiers of B Company, 221st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Battalion, was an attempt to deter Soldiers from filing complaints with an inspector general or a member of Congress. The complaint alleged the behavior happened in August 2020 during a sensing session, also known as a feedback session. Based on the preponderance of the evidence, the DoD OIG substantiated the allegation that the colonel’s words, actions, and demeanor restricted the Soldiers from lawfully communicating with an inspector general or a member of Congress. The DoD OIG also concluded that the command sergeant major did not restrict the Soldiers from lawfully communicating with an inspector general or a member of Congress.
“Service members have a lawful right to communicate their concerns with inspectors general and Congressional members,” said IG Storch. “Those who use their position of authority, words, and actions to deter a subordinate from exercising that right breed an environment of distrust and risk deterring important information from being brought forward for review.”
The DoD OIG recommended that the Secretary of the Army consider appropriate action against the colonel. The DoD OIG also recommended that the Secretary of the Army direct the Inspector General, Department of the Army, to amend its policies and procedures regarding the appropriate processing of complaints of military restriction filed by third parties or anonymous individuals to be consistent with DoD instructions.
The DoD OIG will monitor the implementation of the recommendations in this report.