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Report | June 2, 2021

Semiannual Report to the Congress – October 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021

DoD OIG

Publicly Released: June 2, 2021

The Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, requires the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG) to prepare semiannual reports summarizing its activities for the preceding 6-month period. These semiannual reports are intended to keep the Secretary of Defense and Congress fully informed of significant findings, progress the DoD has made relating to those findings, and recommendations for improvement.

For the reporting period of October 1, 2020 through March 31, 2020, the DoD OIG issued 68 audit and evaluation reports and 2 administrative reports of investigation, with 190 recommendations to the DoD for improvement.

As the coronavirus disease–2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues, DoD response efforts remain ongoing. The DoD OIG continues to coordinate across the DoD and with the Federal oversight community to conduct timely and relevant COVID-19 related oversight projects to help ensure the DoD effectively and efficiently executes the $10.6 billion in appropriated FY 2020 funds in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. We describe our planned oversight of DoD programs, operations, and activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in our quarterly DoD OIG COVID-19 Oversight Plan. As of March 31, 2021, the DoD OIG completed 17 reports, and had 8 ongoing audits or evaluations related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the DoD OIG’s ability to perform some oversight work, the DoD OIG continued to conduct meaningful oversight during the reporting period. The DoD OIG also completed 237 criminal investigations, some conducted jointly with other law enforcement organizations, resulting in 93 arrests, 126 criminal charges, 125 criminal convictions, $233.6 million in civil judgments and settlements, and $63.9 million in criminal fines, penalties, and restitution ordered. In addition, the DoD OIG oversaw 199 senior official, reprisal, and restriction investigations completed by the Military Services and Defense Agency OIGs. The DoD OIG also issued 5 quarterly reports on overseas contingency operations. These accomplishments are discussed in detail throughout the report.

Also during this reporting period, we established a Deputy Inspector General for Diversity and Inclusion/Military Insider Threats within the DoD OIG as directed by Section 554 of the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. This Deputy Inspector General is responsible for oversight of policies, programs, systems, and processes regarding diversity and inclusion in the DoD and the prevention of and response to supremacist, extremist, and criminal gang activity in the Armed Forces.

These are just a few examples of DoD OIG accomplishments during this semiannual reporting period. The accomplishments reflected throughout this report are the result of the outstanding work by many DoD OIG employees.