| Inspector General of the United States Army | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the Inspector General | |
 Flag of the Inspector General | |
.jpg) | |
| Department of the Army | |
| Type | Inspector general |
| Abbreviation | IG |
| Member of | Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense |
| Reports to | Secretary of the Army Chief of Staff of the Army |
| Seat | The Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | 4 years |
| Constituting instrument | 10 U.S.C. § 7020 |
| Precursor | Inspector-General of the Cavalry of the United States of America |
| Inaugural holder | Thomas Conway |
| Formation | December 13, 1777 |
| Deputy | Deputy Inspector General of the United States Army |
| Website | http://www.daig.pentagon.mil |
The Office of the Inspector General of the United States Army (OTIG)[A] is the agency tasked with investigating the United States Army. Its stated mission is to "provide impartial, objective and unbiased advice and oversight to the army through relevant, timely and thorough inspection, assistance, investigations, and training".[2] The position of Inspector General (IG) has existed since 1777, when Thomas Conway was appointed, and the office has been reorganized many times, varied in size dramatically, and abolished on several occasions before being reinstated. In its early days, the inspectorate was frequently merged with, or proposed to be part of, the Adjutant General's department.
The office expanded greatly in the late 19th century after the American Civil War, undertaking increasing numbers of inspections. Upon the outbreak of the Spanish–American War, the War Department was ill-prepared, and much of the blame fell upon the inspectorate. Nevertheless, it continued to expand in the early 20th century, peaking during World War I, with the caseload of the department rising 360 percent from 1916 to 1917. The scope of the department rose further between the world wars. Work undertaken fell during the 1920s and rose again during the 1930s. During World War II, the department increased in size to the point that it had around 3,000 officers in 1945. The inspectorate decreased in size to about 2,000 officers in 1986.
- ^ Whitehorne 1998, p. 320.
- ^ Perry, Dustin. "Army Swears in, Promotes New Inspector General". United States Army (Press release). Archived from the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
Cite error: There are <ref group=upper-alpha> tags or {{efn-ua}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=upper-alpha}} template or {{notelist-ua}} template (see the help page).