OFFICE of the INSPECTOR GENERAL of the INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY

April 2018 – September 2018

Michael K. Atkinson

Inspector General of the Intelligence Community

SEMIANNUAL REPORT
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Table of Contents

Message from the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community 3

Statutory Reporting Requirements 4

Introduction 5

Audit Division 8

Inspections and Evaluations Division 10

Investigations Division 11

Center for Protected Disclosures 13

Office of the General Counsel 15

Management and Administration Division 17

Recommendations 18

Intelligence Community Inspectors General Forum 19

Abbreviations and Acronyms 24

Hotline Numbers 25

Questions may be directed to the Office of the inspector General of the Intelligence Community at 571-204-8149 or through email at IC_IG_PAO@dni.gov.

DNI Dan Coats swears in Michael K. Atkinson as Inspector General of the Intelligence 

Community on May 17, 2018. (ODNI Photo)
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Message from the Inspector General of the

Intelligence Community 

On behalf of the Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence 

Community (ICIG), I am pleased to submit this Semiannual Report 

highlighting the ICIG’s activities from April 1, 2018 through September 

30, 2018. This is the ICIG’s 15th Semiannual Report, and the first issued 

since the United States Senate confirmed me as the Inspector General of 

the Intelligence Community on May 14, 2018.

This Semiannual Report details some of the excellent work the ICIG 

performed over the past six months. The completed reports issued 

during the review period detailed the results of reviews pertaining to 

numerous topics of interest to the Office of the Director of National 

Intelligence (ODNI) and the entire Intelligence Community (IC), including 

the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), ODNI’s information security 

program, and ODNI’s payment programs.

During the reporting period, the ICIG addressed the ongoing problem 

of unauthorized disclosures within the Intelligence Community while 

improving awareness and reporting processes for protected disclosures. 

The ICIG initiated a program to permit the ICIG to fulfill its responsibilities 

to report and investigate unauthorized disclosures, as required by 

Intelligence Community Directive 701, entitled Unauthorized Disclosures 

of Classified National Security Information. The ICIG also restructured 

its whistleblower program in numerous ways to enhance the ICIG’s 

efficiency and effectiveness in handling whistleblower complaints and 

concerns, particularly with regard to any claims of reprisal. Toward 

this end, the ICIG is establishing a Center for Protected Disclosures 

(CPD) and a Hotline Working Group within the IC to discuss common 

challenges and share best practices. 

The ICIG also updated its whistleblowing website to increase the IC’s 

awareness of how they may appropriately report allegations of waste, 

fraud, abuse, and mismanagement, without fear of retaliation or risk to 

national security. Since May 2018, the ICIG’s Hotline Program made 

significant strides in reducing its backlog and establishing procedures 

to ensure the further reduction of processing times and to enhance 

efficiency and responsiveness.

During the reporting period, the ICIG also acted to enhance the 

transparency of its activities. By streamlining its procedures and hiring 

critical personnel, the ICIG completed 80 percent of its own FOIA cases, 

which significantly reduced its FOIA backlog; these improved procedures 

should reduce future case processing times by at least half. In addition, 

the ICIG for the first time in its history issued an ODNI management 

challenges statement summarizing what it considers to be ODNI’s most 

serious management and performance challenges. This was the first 

year the ICIG presented a management challenges statement for ODNI 

before compiling a capstone management challenges statement for the 

entire IC, which will be included in the ODNI Chief Financial Officer’s 

Summary of Performance and Financial Information Report.

The ICIG also conducted outreach events with multiple stakeholders 

in an effort to increase transparency and awareness concerning its 

mandate and activities. The ICIG participated in panel discussions and 

led information sessions for key events within ODNI, hosted information 

exchanges with whistleblowing advocacy groups, met with members 

of Congress and their staff, and engaged in discussions with the 

Government Accountability Office concerning whistleblower protections 

in the IC.

This report also illustrates the ICIG’s continuing efforts to enhance 

communication, coordination, and collaboration among the Intelligence 

Community Inspectors General Forum. The Forum consists of the twelve 

Michael K. Atkinson testifies during an open hearing for 

his nomination as the Inspector General of the Intelligence 

Community before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on 

Intelligence on January 17, 2018. (ODNI Photo)
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statutory and administrative Inspectors General who have oversight 

responsibility for an element of the Intelligence Community. One of the 

primary topics at our two Forum meetings this reporting period was the 

establishment of a joint Security Clearance Working Group with other 

Forum members. The joint review will build on the extensive work 

already completed on the security clearance process and concentrate 

on how the DNI might employ his existing authorities to improve the 

efficiency and effectiveness of the security clearance process.

As the ICIG assesses its successes over the past six months, and 

continues to take the requisite steps to increase those successes in the 

next, the ICIG must express its appreciation for the support provided 

by ODNI’s leadership and workforce. The ICIG also thanks Congress 

and its staff for their professionalism and cooperation throughout this 

reporting period, and looks forward to working with them to address the 

many challenges facing the Intelligence Community. 

Finally, as always, I sincerely thank the employees and contractors at the 

ICIG for their integrity, hard work, and commitment to the ICIG’s mission.

Statutory Reporting Requirements

As required by its authorizing statute in Title 50, United States Code, Section 3033, all ICIG inspection and investigation activities conform to standards 

adopted by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE). The ICIG conducts all audit activities in accordance with generally 

accepted government auditing standards. The ICIG had full and direct access to all information relevant to perform its duties. The ICIG issued no 

subpoenas this reporting period.

A list of open and closed recommendations for this reporting period is located on page 18. Corresponding corrective actions are listed in the annex. 

All ongoing and completed audits, inspections, and reviews begin on page 8.

Select completed investigations begin on page 11.

Updates on whistleblower matters begin on page 13.

The ICIG’s main offices are located at 12290 Sunrise Valley Drive, Gate 3, Reston, VA 20191.
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Introduction

Authority and Organization

The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 established the 

Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community within the 

Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The ICIG has the authority 

to initiate and conduct independent audits, inspections, investigations, 

and reviews of programs and activities within the responsibility and 

authority of the Director of National Intelligence. The ICIG’s senior 

management team includes the Inspector General, Principal Deputy 

Inspector General, General Counsel, four Assistant Inspectors General, 

and one Center Director. The principal operational divisions are Audit, 

Investigations, and Inspections and Evaluations. The Management and 

Administration Division and the General Counsel’s Office support the 

operational divisions and the ICIG’s Executive Office. The Center for 

Protected Disclosures processes whistleblower reports and supports 

whistleblower protections. 

Mission

The ICIG’s mission is to provide independent and objective oversight of 

the programs and activities within the responsibility and authority of the 

Director of National Intelligence, and to lead and coordinate the efforts of 

the Intelligence Community Inspectors General Forum.

Strategic Goal

The ICIG’s goal is to have a positive and enduring impact throughout 

the Intelligence Community, and to lead and coordinate the efforts of 

an integrated Intelligence Community Inspectors General Forum, to 

enhance the ability of the United States Intelligence Community to meet 

national security needs while respecting our nation’s laws and reflecting 

its values.

Independence

The Inspector General is nominated by the President and confirmed 

by, and with the advice and consent of, the United States Senate. The 

Inspector General is independent, both in fact and appearance, and 

provides effective and objective leadership. The Office of the Inspector 

General of the Intelligence Community bases its findings and conclusions 

on independent and objective analysis of the facts and evidence that 

become known to it through its exhaustive audits, investigations, 

inspections, and programmatic reviews.

Core Values

Integrity

Commitment

Diversity

Transparency

Outreach Efforts

During the reporting period, consistent with its commitment to 

promote transparency regarding its Intelligence Community oversight 

responsibilities and activities, the ICIG conducted numerous outreach 

efforts. The ICIG held outreach events with the workforce of both ODNI 
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and the entire Intelligence Community as well as other stakeholders, 

including non-governmental organizations and advocacy groups. The 

ICIG will post this Semiannual Report, as it has in the past, on publicly 

accessible websites, and it will work to post the results of its inspections, 

evaluations, reviews, and audits on publicly accessible websites to the 

maximum extent permitted by law. The ICIG updated its unclassified 

and classified websites to inform individuals within the IC and other 

interested persons about whistleblower protections and rights. The 

ICIG held numerous meetings with members of Congress and their staff 

to inform them about key ICIG findings, recommendations, priorities, 

and initiatives. As the Chair of the Intelligence Community Inspectors 

General Forum, the ICIG also led the efforts to enhance communication, 

coordination, and collaboration among the Forum members. 

The ICIG’s Legislative Affairs Counsel and Congressional Liaison is 

Melissa Wright. The ICIG’s Public Affairs Officer is Monica Tullos. They 

can be reached at 571-204-8149, or IC_IG_PAO@dni.gov.

Fortieth Anniversary of the Inspector General Act of 

1978

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the 

Inspector General Act of 1978. President 

Jimmy Carter signed the Act, and described 

the new statutory Inspectors General as 

“perhaps the most important new tools in 

the fight against fraud.” The ICIG, one of 

73 statutory Inspectors General collectively 

overseeing the operations of nearly every 

aspect of the federal government, looks 

forward to continuing to expand its efforts 

to detect and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse within the Intelligence 

Community. The ICIG also looks forward to continuing to work with 

the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency on 

important issues that significantly affect productivity, transparency, and 

accountability throughout the federal government.

(ODNI Photo)
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Oversight.gov

On October 1, 2017, the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity 

and Efficiency announced the official launch of Oversight.gov. This new 

website provides a “one stop shop” to follow the ongoing oversight work 

of all Offices of Inspectors General (OIGs) that publicly post reports. 

The ICIG, like the other OIGs, will continue to post reports to its own 

website. But with Oversight.gov, users can sort, search, and filter the 

site’s database of public reports from all of CIGIE’s member OIGs to find 

reports of interest. In addition, the site features a user-friendly map to 

find reports based on geographic location, and contact information for 

each OIG’s hotline. Users can receive notifications when new reports 

are added to the site by following CIGIE’s Twitter account,

@OversightGov.

Resources

Funding

During this reporting period, the Office of the Director of National 

Intelligence provided adequate funding to permit the ICIG to fulfill its 

mission. The budget covered personnel services and general support, 

including travel, training, equipment, supplies, Information Technology 

(IT) support, and office automation requirements. As the ICIG assessed 

IC programs and activities to promote effectiveness, economy, and 

efficiency, it also examined its own internal operations to develop and 

implement greater efficiencies in operations. To that end, the ICIG 

collaborated with its IT counterparts at ODNI to institute a just-in-time 

model for procuring and installing computers when staff actually report to 

duty, thereby eliminating costs associated with maintaining equipment in 

unoccupied spaces. This action resulted in a 61 percent reduction in the 

ICIG’s IT operations and maintenance costs. 

Personnel

The ICIG employs a diverse group of talented and highly skilled 

professionals who provide critical subject matter expertise. The ICIG 

workforce includes permanent employees (cadre), employees from other 

Intelligence Community elements on detail to the ICIG (detailees), and 

contractors.

Additional personnel details are listed in the annex of this report.
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THE AUDIT DIVISION CONDUCTS PERFORMANCE

AUDITS AND IC-WIDE PROJECTS RELATED TO 

BUSINESS PRACTICES, ACQUISITION, PROJECT 

MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, AND 

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT.

Completed Audit Projects

The Federal Information Security 

Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA)

AUD-2018-001: Review of ODNI FY 2017 

Policies and Procedures for Implementing 

FISMA

FISMA requires an annual independent 

evaluation of federal agencies’ information 

security programs and practices. The ICIG 

identified and assessed the status of ODNI 

information security program policies and 

procedures relevant to FISMA for the FY 2017 

reporting period. The ICIG reported that ODNI 

established policies and procedures for two of 

the eight FISMA metric domains. ODNI Chief 

Information Officer (CIO) officials continue to 

develop information security program policies 

and procedures for the other six domains as part 

of their effort to implement a robust information 

security program; however, many of those 

policies remain in draft form or in coordination 

status.

The information contained in the report will be 

included in an Intelligence Community FISMA 

capstone report to be issued during the next fiscal 

quarter.

Improper Payments Elimination and 

Recovery Improvement Act of 2012 (IPERIA)

AUD-2018-003: ODNI’s FY 2017 

Compliance with IPERIA

IPERIA directs federal agencies to perform 

risk assessments of programs and activities 

to identify those that may be susceptible to 

significant improper payments, to estimate the 

amount of improper payments in susceptible 

programs and activities, and to report the 

estimates and actions taken to reduce improper 

payments in the materials accompanying the 

agency’s annual Agency Financial Report 

(AFR). IPERIA also directs agencies to conduct 

recovery audits for each program and activity 

that expends $1 million or more annually, if 

conducting such audits would be cost effective. 

The objective of the ICIG’s review was to 

determine whether ODNI complied with the 

requirements of IPERIA in FY 2017.

The ICIG reported that for FY 2017, ODNI was 

compliant with IPERIA requirements. ODNI 

performed a program-specific risk assessment 

on contract vendor payments and determined 

that this activity’s payments were not susceptible 

to significant improper payments, as defined by 

the Office of Management and Budget. Based 

on this determination, ODNI was not required to 

prepare or report improper payment estimates 

or corrective action plans, or conduct recovery 

audits. As required by IPERIA, ODNI reported 

these results in its classified FY 2017 AFR.

Collaboration and Outreach

The ICIG’s Audit Division led collaboration 

efforts in areas of mutual interest across the IC 

Audit community. The Audit Division initiated 

meetings to share work plan ideas and identify 

areas that might benefit from joint audit work. 

In addition, it coordinated a joint IC OIG Audit 

response to the Chief Financial Office (CFO) 

working group’s proposed solutions to intragovernmental transactions, one of the significant 

challenges faced by auditors across the IC 

pertaining to financial statement auditability. 

The ICIG’s Audit Division also attended closedsession meetings with the Federal Accounting 

Standards Advisory Board during deliberations 

on the new Classified Activities Standard, which 

affects financial statement reporting practices for 

IC elements. 

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The Audit Division shared information with its IC 

Audit partners and coordinated their responses 

to drafts of the new standard. The ICIG Audit 

Division’s collaboration with its IC Audit partners 

and the CFO working group built a foundation 

for future successes in identifying auditability 

solutions for financial matters of interest to the 

Intelligence Community. 

The ICIG Audit Division and the National 

Reconnaissance Office OIG co-hosted the 

second Intelligence Community Information 

Technology Auditor Summit. The summit 

featured the IC Chief Information Officer’s insight 

on strategies and challenges in IT developments 

for the IC. Speakers from across the community 

shared information on current topics including 

the use of data analytics for IT audits, privacy 

controls in the IC, and mitigating security and 

counterintelligence risks in the IT supply chain. 

Roundtable discussions provided participants 

the opportunity to share ideas on approaches 

and best practices, and to discuss challenges in 

conducting IT audits.

Shutterstock ID: 761129434

Intelligence Community IT professionals collaborate to discuss identity, credentials, and access management (ICAM) requirements 

to produce a community-wide ICAM reference architecture at an offsite held at ODNI. (Photo: ODNI IC CIO)
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THE INSPECTIONS & EVALUATIONS DIVISION WORKS 

TO IMPROVE ODNI AND IC-WIDE PERFORMANCE AND 

INTEGRATION BY EXAMINING INFORMATION ACCESS; 

COLLABORATION, COLLECTION, AND ANALYSIS; IC 

PROGRAMS AND ISSUES; AND COMPLIANCE WITH 

LAWS AND REGULATIONS.

Summary of Completed Review

Additional details about the completed review are in the annex.

INS-2018-001: Assessment of Intelligence 

Community Freedom of Information Act 

(FOIA) Programs

The ICIG’s Inspections and Evaluations Division 

(I&E) examined the effectiveness of the FOIA 

programs of ODNI, the Central Intelligence 

Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, National 

Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National 

Reconnaissance Office, and National Security 

Agency. FOIA is the primary means for the 

public to access federal executive branch 

records. I&E focused on how IC programs 

prioritize, coordinate, and process FOIA requests 

to meet statutory requirements, including the 

timeliness of responses and the effectiveness 

of communications with requesters. I&E also 

reviewed ODNI’s role as an IC-wide integrator. 

I&E initiated this assessment after determining 

that ODNI’s Information Management Division 

had raised concerns with the Intelligence 

Community’s FOIA program to the Executive 

Committee, its senior governance forum. 

Summary of Ongoing Review 

INS-2018-003: Report of Inspection: The 

Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, 

Office of the Director of National Intelligence

I&E is preparing the final report concerning 

its inspection of ODNI’s Cyber Threat 

Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC). CTIIC 

was established pursuant to Presidential 

Memorandum, Establishment of the Cyber 

Threat Intelligence Integration Center, 

dated February 25, 2015. Among other 

responsibilities, CTIIC provides integrated allsource analysis of intelligence related to foreign 

cyber threats or related to cyber incidents 

affecting U.S. national interests.

Presidential Policy Directive 41, United States 

Cyber Incident Coordination (PPD-41), sets forth 

principles governing the federal government’s 

response to any cyber incident, whether 

involving government or private sector entities. 

PPD-41 further directs that ODNI, through 

CTIIC, is the lead federal agency for intelligence 

support and related activities for significant cyber 

incidents.

I&E conducted a review of CTIIC’s management 

effectiveness, mission performance, resource 

management, and enterprise oversight for the 

period of February 2016 through February 2018.

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THE INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION INVESTIGATES 

ALLEGATIONS OF VIOLATIONS OF CRIMINAL, 

CIVIL, AND ADMINISTRATIVE LAWS ARISING FROM 

THE CONDUCT OF IC, ODNI, AND CONTRACT 

EMPLOYEES.

During this reporting period, the ICIG’s 

Investigations Division continued its efforts 

regarding cross-IC fraud, public corruption, and 

counterintelligence matters. The Investigations 

Division worked jointly with the Federal Bureau 

of Investigation (FBI), other Offices of Inspectors 

General within the Intelligence Community, 

the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, 

the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, 

and other federal investigative agencies. The 

Investigations Division also coordinated its 

activities with various federal prosecuting offices, 

including the Counterintelligence and Export 

Control Section of the United States Department 

of Justice’s National Security Division, the Public 

Integrity Section and the Fraud Section of the 

United States Department of Justice’s Criminal 

Division, as well as the United States Attorney’s 

Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

ICIG’s investigators also spent significant time 

on a continuing joint criminal investigation 

with the FBI and several other federal law 

enforcement organizations. This investigation 

will continue into the next reporting period.

The Investigations Division completed a 

number of investigations during the reporting 

period. For instance, the Investigations Division 

substantiated labor mischarging by an ODNI 

contract employee who billed the government 

for hours that the contractor did not work, 

leading to an estimated loss to the government 

of approximately $18,000. Because the 

matter was declined for criminal prosecution, 

the ICIG referred the matter to ODNI for any 

administrative action it deems appropriate 

against the contractor and the contractor’s 

employer.

The ICIG’s investigators substantiated 

allegations that a contractor employee misused 

a government computer, conducted unreported 

outside business activities while at work, failed 

to report potential unofficial foreign contacts, and 

billed for hours not worked. The estimated loss 

to the government was approximately $28,400. 

Because the matter was declined for criminal 

prosecution, the ICIG referred the matter to 

ODNI for any administrative action it deems 

appropriate against the contractor (whose 

security clearance was subsequently terminated) 

and the contractor’s employer.

The Investigations Division also substantiated 

government computer misuse by an ODNI 

contractor employee who routinely and 

improperly conducted electronic searches 

related to sexual violence. As a result of 

the ICIG’s investigation, ODNI removed the 

contractor from the contract and revoked the 

contractor’s clearance.

During the review period, the Investigations 

Division also closed investigations related to 

unauthorized disclosures of information as well 

as allegations related to hiring improprieties, 

labor mischarging, and conflicts of interest. 

Intelligence Community Directive 701, 

Unauthorized Disclosures of Classified 

National Security Information

Beginning in June 2018, the Investigations 

Division began to take steps to permit the ICIG 

to fulfill its responsibilities under Intelligence 

Community Directive 701, Unauthorized 

Disclosures of Classified National Security 

Information (ICD 701). In December 2017, 

the DNI revised ICD 701 to improve the IC’s 

efforts to detect, deter, report, and investigate 

unauthorized disclosures. The revised ICD 

imposed new responsibilities upon the ICIG to 

report and investigate unauthorized disclosures. 

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Under ICD 701, the ICIG will:

• Review unauthorized disclosure cases 

where the FBI decides not to investigate or 

the FBI investigates but the Department of 

Justice declines prosecution, in coordination 

with the other Office(s) of Inspectors 

General involved, to determine whether 

an Inspector General administrative 

investigation is warranted. 

• Coordinate with other Offices of Inspectors 

General within the IC to determine, in 

consultation with the Department of Justice, 

which Tier 2 and Tier 3 cases (as defined 

in ICD 701, Annex B) may be suitable for 

administrative investigation.

• Coordinate with other Offices of Inspectors 

General within the IC to ensure cases 

suitable for administrative investigation are 

reviewed, appropriately investigated, and 

not closed prematurely.

• Coordinate with other Offices of Inspectors 

General within the IC to conduct 

independent investigations.

• Maintain a repository of notifications 

from IC elements regarding any loss or 

compromise of classified information, 

preliminary inquiries, and Crimes Reports 

on unauthorized disclosures submitted by 

IC elements, and monitor all submissions to 

final disposition.

The Investigations Division has begun to work 

with ODNI and the other IC elements and 

stakeholders to develop a program to meet 

the ICIG’s obligations under ICD 701. The 

Investigations Division will begin to implement 

this new program during the next reporting 

period.

The ICIG maintains a satellite office at ODNI’s headquarters at Liberty Crossing. (Peterson Companies Photo)
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AFTER SEEKING INPUT FROM KEY STAKEHOLDERS, 

INCLUDING CONGRESS, THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY 

INSPECTORS GENERAL FORUM, AND ADVOCACY 

GROUPS, THE ICIG IS DESIGNING AND ESTABLISHING

THE CENTER FOR PROTECTED DISCLOSURES.

Intelligence Community employees, contractors, 

supervisors, and managers detect, collect, 

and analyze information to develop the most 

accurate and insightful intelligence possible on 

external threats. The privileged access of those 

intelligence professionals carries with it the 

duty to lawfully disclose information regarding 

potential wrongdoing, including fraud, waste, 

and abuse. 

After seeking input from key stakeholders, 

including Congress, the Intelligence Community 

Inspectors General Forum, and advocacy 

groups, during this reporting period the ICIG 

began establishing the Center for Protected 

Disclosures (the Center). The Center will cover 

three functional areas critical for whistleblowers 

in the Intelligence Community.

First, the Center will receive and process 

whistleblower complaints through the ICIG’s 

Hotline program. The ICIG’s Hotline program 

receives whistleblower complaints and concerns 

through public and secure telephone numbers 

and website addresses as well as walk-in 

meetings at the ICIG’s main office in Reston, 

Virginia, and its satellite offices in Bethesda, 

Maryland and Tysons Corner, Virginia. The 

Hotline program also receives and processes 

allegations of “urgent concerns,” disclosed 

pursuant to the Intelligence Community 

Whistleblower Protection Act (the ICWPA). The 

ICWPA established a process to ensure the 

Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) 

and the House Permanent Select Committee 

on Intelligence (HPSCI) receive disclosures of 

potential flagrant problems, abuses, violations 

of law or executive order, or deficiencies related 

to the funding, administration, or operation of 

an intelligence activity. The Center will track all 

such disclosures, ensure review of materials 

for classified information, and coordinate 

disclosures with other Offices of Inspectors 

General for appropriate review and disposition. 

During the reporting period, the ICIG transmitted 

20 ICWPA disclosures to the SSCI and HPSCI, 

and the ICIG implemented new procedures for 

processing ICWPA submissions, including an 

internal review process by the ICWPA Working 

Group.

To increase the effectiveness of the ICIG’s 

Hotline program, this reporting period the ICIG 

established the first IC-wide Hotline Working 

Group to share challenges and best practices 

with our IC Hotline partners. Participants in the 

first meeting included Hotline managers from 

the Offices of Inspector General of the Central 

Intelligence Agency (CIA), Defense Intelligence 

Agency (DIA), National Geospatial-Intelligence 

Agency (NGA), and National Reconnaissance 

Office (NRO). Participants reviewed their 

Hotline programs, identifying commonalities 

and differences regarding the software they 

use, their referral procedures, who in their 

respective offices vets complaints, and how they 

forward complaints to other Inspectors General. 

The Hotline Working Group intends to meet 

semiannually to further share their procedures 

and lessons learned.

Second, the Center will provide community 

outreach and guidance to individuals seeking 

more information about the options and 

protections afforded to those who may wish 

to make a protected disclosure to the ICIG or 

Congress, or who believe they suffered reprisal 

because they made a protected disclosure. As 

part of its outreach efforts, the ICIG leads the 

Intelligence Community Whistleblower Working 

Group. During the reporting period, the Working 

Group addressed topics including whistleblower 

protections under the 2018 Foreign Intelligence 

Surveillance Act (FISA) amendments, the new 

ICIG whistleblower website, and the use of 

alternative dispute resolution in whistleblower 

matters. The ICIG also conducted outreach 

and training activities within ODNI to ensure 

management stakeholders present consistent 

whistleblowing education. To that end, the 

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ICIG, in consultation with the Office of the 

Inspector General for the National Security 

Agency, reviewed and commented on ODNI’s 

whistleblower protection training modules, which 

were revised and re-launched by ODNI to its 

workforce during the reporting period. The 

ICIG also held an outreach event for ODNI’s 

workforce at ODNI’s headquarters to celebrate 

Whistleblower Appreciation Day on July 30, 

2018.

Third, the Center will administer requests by 

employees and contractors in the IC for the 

ICIG to review their allegations of reprisal under 

Presidential Policy Directive 19, Protecting 

Whistleblowers with Access to Classified 

Information (PPD-19). PPD-19 ensures 

that employees serving in the Intelligence 

Community or those who are eligible for access 

to classified information can effectively report 

fraud, waste, and abuse while protecting 

classified national security information. It 

prohibits retaliation against employees for 

reporting fraud, waste, and abuse. 

The ICIG has unique and important 

responsibilities under PPD-19. Specifically, 

PPD-19 created an external review process, 

administered by the ICIG, to examine allegations 

of whistleblower reprisal. Under PPD-19, an 

individual who believes they suffered reprisal 

for making a protected disclosure is required 

to exhaust their agency’s applicable review 

process for whistleblower reprisal allegations 

prior to requesting an external review by the 

ICIG. Upon exhaustion of those processes and 

a request for review, PPD-19 permits the ICIG 

to exercise its discretion to convene an External 

Review Panel (ERP) to conduct a review of the 

agency’s determination.

The ICIG received six new ERP requests this 

reporting period. Following initial assessment 

and review of materials submitted by both the 

complainants and their agencies on four of the 

requests, the ICIG denied three of the requests 

and closed the matters. The other request is 

pending a decision. The ICIG continues to 

assess the remaining two ERP requests. In 

addition, during this reporting period, the ICIG 

reviewed historical ERP requests and began 

a comprehensive review of ERP processes to 

identify the policies, procedures, and tracking 

mechanisms necessary for efficient and timely 

processing of those requests. The ICIG 

appreciates the assistance provided by the NRO 

OIG in organizing the historical ERP requests.

DNI Coats (center) joins ICIG Atkinson (far left) and his staff members during a National Whistleblower Appreciation Day workforce outreach event 

held at ODNI HQ in July. (ODNI Photo)
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ICIG COUNSEL PROVIDES INDEPENDENT,

OBJECTIVE, AND CONFIDENTIAL LEGAL ADVICE 

ON A VARIETY OF LEGAL AND POLICY ISSUES 

THAT AFFECT THE ICIG MISSION.

The primary responsibility of the ICIG’s Office of 

the General Counsel (OGC) is to ensure that the 

ICIG receives independent advice and counsel 

that is without any conflicts of interest, both in 

fact and in appearance. The OGC:

• Provides legal and policy advice;

• Conducts operational, administrative, and 

ethics reviews;

• Facilitates discussions by the Intelligence 

Community Inspectors General Forum; and 

• Serves as the ICIG Congressional Liaison.

Legal and Policy Reviews

The ICIG’s Office of the General Counsel 

continued its outreach efforts to inform ICIG 

staff and the Intelligence Community Inspectors 

General Forum about legislation and policy 

affecting Inspectors General equities. OGC 

also engaged with ODNI legal and policy 

offices to ensure that they consider the ICIG’s 

independence and equities when ODNI 

develops critical IC-wide policies. Such policy 

revisions pertained to unauthorized disclosures 

of classified information, efforts to provide 

effective ODNI whistleblower training to ODNI’s 

workforce, and efforts to revise and improve 

the Security Executive Agent Directive on 

whistleblower protection. 

OGC reviewed and provided input regarding 

these policies. OGC helped to facilitate and 

participate in discussions to ensure that the 

revised policies were consistent with the 

ICIG’s policies and other Inspectors General’s 

abilities to conduct independent and objective 

administrative investigations of alleged 

unauthorized disclosures. OGC also helped to 

ensure that such policies complied with PPD19’s requirements. OGC closely interacted with 

the ICIG’s Center for Protected Disclosures on 

whistleblower education and outreach efforts 

to ensure consistency with evolving legal and 

policy developments.

Operational, Administrative, and 

Ethics Reviews

OGC provides timely advice to the entire ICIG 

organization. OGC supports the Investigations 

Division throughout the investigative process by 

highlighting and providing guidance on potential 

legal issues meriting additional or redirected 

investigative efforts. OGC stays apprised of 

current legal trends and case law to ensure that 

investigative tools and methods are utilized in 

a manner consistent with protecting individuals’ 

personal and legal rights. 

OGC supports the Inspections and Evaluations 

Division and the Audit Division by identifying and 

interpreting key policy and contract provisions 

relevant to its observations, findings, and 

recommendations, as provided in its numerous 

component and intelligence oversight reviews 

and audits. 

OGC also provides legal and policy guidance 

regarding issues related to the ICIG’s 

administrative personnel, training, and budgetary 

functions. During the reporting period, OGC 

assisted the Management and Administration 

Division in increasing the efficiency and 

effectiveness of the ICIG’s FOIA program. 

Specifically, OGC reviewed the existing FOIA 

policy and procedures and met with internal and 

ODNI stakeholders to incorporate best practices 

and to clarify and streamline responsibilities; this 

review and related actions led to dramatically 

reduced FOIA processing times by the ICIG. In 

total, OGC provided legal reviews of 36 FOIA 

cases, including one case currently in litigation, 

and assisted in reducing the backlog of FOIA 

cases. 

As part of ODNI’s Ethics Program, to protect the 

credibility and objectivity of the ICIG’s mission, 

OGC reviews Office of Government Ethics 

(OGE) financial disclosure forms for personal 

conflicts of interest. OGC also reviews ICIG 

personnel independence statements to ensure 

that staff members are free from personal or 

other impairments that might impugn the work 

of an auditor, inspector, or investigator under 

applicable standards.

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Outreach

With assistance from the Management and 

Administration Division, OGC provided support 

for a summer law clerk event sponsored by 

the Council of Counsels to Inspectors General 

at CIA headquarters. Twenty-five summer 

interns, clerks, and attorneys from fifteen 

different departments, agencies, and entities 

across the federal government attended the 

event. The Inspector General of the Intelligence 

Community and the Acting Inspector General 

for the CIA provided overviews of their personal 

backgrounds, offices, and missions to the group. 

After a working lunch, the event concluded with 

a guided tour and a group photograph at the CIA 

seal in the Original Headquarters Building. 

Legislative Development and 

Congressional Engagements

OGC continues to engage on congressional 

mandates and relevant bills with members 

of Congress and their staff, ODNI’s Office of 

General Counsel, ODNI’s Office of Legislative 

Affairs, the Counsels Committee for the 

Intelligence Community Inspectors General 

Forum, the Government Accountability Office, 

and the Council of Inspectors General on 

Integrity and Efficiency. 

Throughout this reporting period, the ICIG 

frequently engaged with Congress. Notably, 

following confirmation of the new Inspector 

General in May 2018, the ICIG’s Legislative 

Counsel arranged and accompanied the 

Inspector General to several meetings with 

members of Congress and their staff to provide 

an opportunity for the Inspector General to 

discuss his vision and priorities for the ICIG, and 

to hear about priority issues from the members 

and their staff. Counsel also provided and 

arranged for several bipartisan congressional 

briefings on recent ICIG activities, including ICIG 

efforts to reorganize the ICIG’s whistleblower 

program to meet its responsibilities under 

the Intelligence Community Whistleblower 

Protection Act, the National Security Act of 1947, 

the Inspector General Act of 1978, and PPD-19. 

The ICIG also engaged with the General 

Accountability Office (GAO) on several 

occasions. For example, OGC arranged an 

initial meeting between GAO and the Inspector 

General to discuss and respond to the ICIG’s 

congressional mandate to review aspects of the 

Intelligence Community Whistleblower Program. 

The ICIG’s Inspections and Evaluations Division 

also met with GAO to discuss the findings of the 

ICIG’s 2016 inspection of ODNI’s Intelligence 

Community Campus-Bethesda (ICC-B) facility.

OGC continues to review and monitor proposed 

legislation and regulations potentially affecting 

ICIG operations specifically and the broader 

Inspector General community generally. Further, 

OGC regularly engages with congressional staff 

to discuss pending and potential legislation. For 

example, OGC closely tracked and commented 

on the House and Senate Intelligence 

Authorization Acts of 2018 and 2019, and 

discussed with staff the need for legislation 

aimed at enhancing the ICIG’s ability to recruit 

and retain experienced investigators.

The Intelligence Community Campus in Bethesda, Maryland (ICC-Bethesda). The ICIG maintains a satellite office at 

ICC-B. (Whiting Turner Photo)
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THE MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION 

DIVISION PROVIDES FULL SPECTRUM MISSION 

SUPPORT ACROSS THE ICIG.

The Management and Administration Division 

(M&A) strengthens the ICIG’s operations by 

providing programmatic support to enable 

strategic alignment with goals and priorities, and 

effective execution of the ICIG’s statutory and 

other mandated responsibilities, including:

• Operational Planning and Management

• Quality Assurance

• Talent Development

• Communications 

M&A ensured continuity in day-to-day office 

operations and realized several operational 

successes this reporting period. A summary of 

these successes follows.

M&A coordinated production of the ICIG’s first 

ODNI Management Challenges (MC) report 

for inclusion in the FY 2018 Agency Financial 

Report. The Reports Consolidation Act of 2000 

requires that each agency accountability report 

include a statement prepared by the agency’s 

Inspector General summarizing what the IG 

considers to be the most serious management 

and performance challenges facing the agency, 

and briefly assessing progress in addressing 

those challenges. The ICIG writes an annual 

IC-wide MC statement for inclusion in the Chief 

Financial Officer’s Summary of Performance 

and Financial Information Report. This is the 

first year the ICIG has written an MC statement 

for ODNI before compiling the IC-wide MC 

statement. The ICIG found that ODNI’s 

most serious management and performance 

challenges were in the following areas:

• Enhancing IC coordination, integration, and 

information sharing

• Reforming the security clearance process

• Producing auditable financial statements

• Strengthening information security

• Improving management of ODNI’s workforce

Beginning in late May 2018, M&A cleared the 

longstanding Freedom of Information Act case 

backlog dating to 2012, mitigating ODNI’s risk 

of litigation from processing delays. During this 

period, M&A gained the authorities necessary 

to streamline the FOIA review process and 

eliminated unnecessary actions on the front 

end. As a result, M&A was able to validate and 

reconcile a backlog of more than 50 outstanding 

cases, ultimately reducing the number of active 

cases by 80 percent. M&A will continue to 

take all necessary steps to timely satisfy FOIA 

compliance requirements in the future.

M&A is currently negotiating an agreement with 

ODNI’s Information Management Division for 

the ICIG’s new in-house classification expert to 

conduct internal classification reviews. This will 

dramatically reduce classification review time. 

In addition, M&A developed and delivered an 

ICIG-tailored classification training for current 

and incoming ICIG personnel. 

M&A implemented and customized new 

technology to better support the ICIG’s 

operations, including investigations case 

management through the Case Management 

Tracking System (CMTS), Teammate auditing 

software, and the IDEA data analytics 

application. M&A is also refining the ICIG’s 

Hotline program processes with technology 

transcription services and IC-wide email 

databases.

Through a combination of internal and external 

stakeholder engagements, M&A is highlighting 

the ICIG’s organization and mission. Recent 

events include:

• Hill engagements, new hire briefings, and 

Job/Joint Duty career fairs

• Council of Counsels to Inspectors General 

Summer Law Clerks Program

• National Whistleblower Appreciation Day 

workforce outreach

• Oversight Panel Discussions 

• Whistleblowing information exchange with 

advocacy groups

• National Compliance Officer Day workforce 

outreach

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Recommendations Summary

Report Name Date 

Issued

Total

Issued

New 

This 

Period

Open

Closed 

This 

Period

2018

Assessment of IC Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Programs September 10 10 10 0

Memo to COO re: Pending Travel Voucher August 2 2 2 0

Inspection: Assessment of IC Information System Deterrence, Detection, and Mitigation of Insider ThreatsMarch 4 0 4 0

Inspection: Multi-Sector Workforce: Determining the Accuracy of Numbers and Cost 

of the Civilian and Contractor Workforce

March 2 0 0 2

Assessment of a Controlled Access Program Information System Deterrence, 

Detection, and Mitigation of Insider Threats January 16 0 5 10

2017

Audit: FY 2016 Independent Evaluation of ODNI Compliance with FISMA September 1 0 0 1

Inspection: Assessment of ODNI Information System Deterrence, Detection, and 

Mitigation of Insider Threats

September 19 0 4 4

2013

Audit: Study: IC Electronic Waste Disposal Practices May 5 0 1 0

2012

Audit: IC Security Clearance Reciprocity December 2 0 2 0

Totals 61 12 28 17

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Intelligence Community Inspectors General Forum Members

National Security Agency

Office of the Inspector General

National Reconnaissance Office

Office of the Inspector General

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Office of the Inspector General

Department of the Treasury

Office of the Inspector General

Department of State

Office of the Inspector General

Department of Justice

Office of the Inspector General

Department of Homeland Security

Office of the Inspector General

Department of Energy

Office of the Inspector General

Department of Defense

Office of the Inspector General

Defense Intelligence Agency

Office of the Inspector General

Central Intelligence Agency

Office of the Inspector General

Office of the Inspector General of the

Intelligence Community (Chair)
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THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY INSPECTORS 

GENERAL FORUM IS COMPOSED OF THE TWELVE 

STATUTORY AND ADMINISTRATIVE INSPECTORS 

GENERAL WHO HAVE OVERSIGHT RESPONSIBILITIES

FOR INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY ELEMENTS.

The Inspector General of the Intelligence 

Community chaired two Forum meetings during 

this reporting period. At the first meeting, in 

June 2018, the Forum discussed multiple topics, 

including how best to handle joint duty rotations, 

ways to reduce whistleblowing investigation 

processing times, issues pertaining to cyber 

security, best practices regarding hotline 

processes, and potential reviews to address the 

security clearance backlog and the problem of 

unauthorized disclosures.

The second Forum meeting, held in September 

2018, was the first held under a new framework 

for Forum committees and working groups 

to present proposals for consideration and 

decision by the Inspectors General at the 

Forum meeting. The Security Clearance 

Working Group proposed a joint review by the 

Forum’s members on the DNI’s authorities as 

the Security Executive Agent, the established 

policies pertaining to those authorities, and the 

implementation of those policies by the elements 

within the IC. The study of this specific topic 

would have the desired effect of not having 

the Working Group repeating work already 

completed during previous assessments of the 

security clearance process. Forum members 

agreed on the proposed joint study and provided 

guidance on the initial steps necessary to 

commence the study.

The Forum members also discussed the 

procedures for handling reprisal complaints 

against Inspectors General and certain of their 

designated staff members. More specifically, 

the Forum members discussed the relationship 

between protections provided to whistleblowers 

under Presidential Policy Directive 19, Protecting 

Whistleblowers with Access to Classified 

Information, and the statutory authority of the 

CIGIE’s Integrity Committee.

At the ICIG’s request, the Forum members 

agreed to meet in mid-2019 to align work plans 

for FY 2020 in an effort to increase the number 

and scope of joint projects by Forum members 

and to minimize the duplication of efforts.

Committee Updates

Deputy Inspectors General Committee

The ICIG experienced several changes in 

the senior management ranks this reporting 

period. In May 2018, the United States Senate 

confirmed Michael K. Atkinson as the Inspector 

General of the Intelligence Community. Shortly 

thereafter, the ICIG’s Principal Deputy Inspector 

By statute, the Intelligence Community 

Inspectors General Forum consists of the twelve 

statutory or administrative inspectors general 

with oversight responsibility for an element of the 

IC. The Forum serves as a mechanism through 

which members can learn about the work of 

individual members that may be of common 

interest, and discuss questions about jurisdiction 

or access to information and staff. As Chair, the 

Inspector General of the Intelligence Community 

leads the Forum by coordinating efforts to find 

joint solutions to mutual challenges for improved 

integration among the Forum members. Forum 

committees, topic-specific working groups, 

and subject matter experts generate ideas to 

address shared concerns and mutual challenges 

for consideration and decision by the Inspectors 

General.

The ICIG’s Principal Deputy Inspector General, 

Assistant Inspectors General, and General 

Counsel each chair Forum committees to further 

collaboration, address common issues affecting 

Inspectors General equities, implement joint 

projects, support and participate in Inspectors 

General training, and disseminate information 

about best practices. These committees and 

topic-specific working groups meet regularly.

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General, Acting Deputy Inspector General, 

and General Counsel left the ICIG for other 

opportunities. 

In addition to these changes, in September 

2018, the ICIG welcomed Robin Ashton as the 

Principal Deputy Inspector General. Robin 

brings a wealth of professional experience 

and expertise to the ICIG. She has worked 

over 30 years with the Department of Justice 

(DOJ), most recently as the head of DOJ’s 

Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), 

where she served since January 2011. Under 

her leadership, OPR successfully investigated 

allegations of misconduct involving DOJ 

attorneys, as well as allegations of misconduct 

by law enforcement personnel when related to 

allegations of attorney misconduct within the 

jurisdiction of OPR. 

Ms. Ashton also spent two decades as an 

Assistant U.S. Attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s 

Office for the District of Columbia. In that role 

she handled complex appeals in the U.S. Court 

of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 

prosecuted over 50 felony jury trials, supervised 

hundreds of grand jury investigations, and 

investigated police misconduct, public 

corruption, and national security cases. For 

four years, Ms. Ashton served as the Principal 

Deputy Director of the Executive Office for U.S. 

Attorneys, the DOJ component responsible for 

providing executive and administrative support 

to the 93 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide. 

Ms. Ashton also served a one-year detail to the 

U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. 

During her career with DOJ, she was awarded 

the Attorney General’s Claudia Flynn Award 

for Professional Responsibility, the Attorney 

General’s Award for Outstanding Leadership 

in Management, the United States Attorney’s 

Award for Meritorious Service, and the Executive 

Office for U.S. Attorneys Director’s Award 

for Excellence in Management. Ms. Ashton 

received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the 

University of Michigan, and her Juris Doctor 

degree from the College of William and Mary. 

Ms. Ashton will serve as the Chair of the 

Deputy Inspectors General Committee for the 

Intelligence Community Inspectors General 

Forum. In this role, she will provide leadership 

in identifying and addressing matters of mutual 

interest among Forum members. Upcoming 

topics of interest include human capital 

management across the IC in order to enhance 

opportunities to rotate Forum members’ 

personnel through various elements of the 

IC in an effort to foster a broader community 

perspective, and to provide IC civilian joint 

duty qualifying experience(s) to those civilian 

personnel in the course of their careers. 

Preliminary discussions with the Deputy 

Inspectors General of the other Forum members 

have begun. The Committee anticipates 

addressing this topic at their next meeting in the 

first quarter of FY 2019, and providing their work 

for consideration by the Inspectors General at a 

future Forum session.

ICIG staff sensitize IC employees about reporting obligations during a National Compliance Officer Day observance in September. 

(ODNI Photo)
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Counsels Committee

The Forum’s Counsels Committee of the 

Intelligence Community Inspectors General 

Forum met regularly to discuss issues of 

common interest to the IC, and to promote the 

consistent interpretation of laws, policies, and 

Executive Orders. The Counsel’s Committee 

operates with the goal of providing legal analysis 

of, and options relating to, issues of particular 

importance to the Forum for final decisionmaking. 

During this reporting period, the Counsels 

collaborated on key initiatives, including:

• The ICIG’s plan to restructure its 

whistleblower program; 

• The best way to handle complaints 

submitted to the CIGIE Integrity Committee, 

and allegations of whistleblower reprisal 

against IC Inspectors General pursuant to 

PPD-19; 

• The development of standards for handling 

External Review Panel reviews pursuant to 

PPD-19;

• How to effectively track and meaningfully 

discuss potential legislation impacting the 

Forum members, including the Senate 

and House versions of the Intelligence 

Authorization Acts of 2018 and 2019; and 

• Views on the use of Nondisclosure 

Agreements by IC elements and Forum 

members.

Management & Administration Committee

The Forum’s Management & Administration 

Committee convened to discuss a number of 

activities and priorities of mutual interest. The 

Committee agreed to expand its structure 

to incorporate an Information Technology 

subcommittee and to establish an Information 

Review and Dissemination Working Group. 

The Forum realigned the Human Capital 

Subcommittee, previously reported as an 

extension of the Management & Administration 

Committee, with the Deputies Committee. 

The IT Subcommittee did not meet during this 

period, but the subcommittee lead continued to 

collect IT requirements from Forum members 

seeking to join the ICIG’s applications in the 

Cloud. The subcommittee will propose solutions 

for IT integration based upon Forum members’ 

expressed levels of interest. 

At the ICIG’s initiation, the Forum’s Information 

Review and Dissemination Working Group held 

its inaugural meeting to analyze the information 

disclosure policies, processes, and procedures 

of Forum members and IC elements; information 

disclosure tracking and accountability practices; 

the use of Nondisclosure Agreements; and 

operational best practices. The Working Group 

will reconvene in the first quarter of FY 2019 

to address identified concerns and begin to 

develop solutions.

Audit Committee

The Forum’s Audit Committee and Cybersecurity 

Subcommittee hosted a quarterly meeting 

to discuss multiple topics of IC interest. The 

meeting featured a guest speaker from the 

Cyber and National Security Unit within the 

Office of Management and Budget’s Office of 

the Federal Chief Information Office, who shared 

information on FY 2018 Federal Information 

Security Modernization Act (FISMA) metrics 

and corresponding guidance, along with the 

framework for the annual FISMA report to 

Congress. The meeting also included a guest 

speaker from the Central Intelligence Agency 

(CIA) OIG, who discussed the successful use of 

data analytics on a recent Travel Card Program 

audit. In addition, an ICIG speaker presented 

the results of a recent inspection entitled, MultiSector Workforce: Determining the Accuracy of 

Numbers and Cost of the Civilian and Contractor 

Workforce. The ICIG also provided an update 

on the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory 

Board actions to issue a new accounting 

standard for classified activities. 

The Audit Committee and Cybersecurity 

Subcommittee hosted a second quarterly 

meeting. Featured guest speakers from offices 

within ODNI and the Departments of Defense 

and Justice shared information on programs 

to facilitate receiving and sharing cyber threat 

information across the federal government and 

with industry. In addition, a guest speaker from 

the IC Office of the Chief Information Officer 

discussed upcoming changes to its approach 

to evaluating cybersecurity measures of 

effectiveness.

Inspections Committee

At the Forum’s Inspections Committee’s first 

quarterly meeting, the National Reconnaissance 

Office (NRO) OIG presented a proposal to 

the Inspections Committee to conduct a joint 

evaluation of Intelligence Oversight processes. 

The Inspections Committee agreed to stand up 

a working group to evaluate the merits of the 

proposal and, if warranted, to recommend the 

proposed scope, objectives, and framework to 

conduct a joint evaluation. The working group 

will present its deliverables at a future Forum 

session. 

At the Inspections Committee’s second 

quarterly meeting, the CIGIE Training Institute 

presented an overview of an online tool and 

methodology currently under development. The 

“I&E Navigator” is being designed to help OIG 

Inspections & Evaluations (I&E) professionals 

conduct their work in a more standardized, 

consistent, and efficient manner. OIGs will be 

able to tailor the tool to reflect the same look 

and feel as their home organization’s processes 

and terminologies. Experienced inspectors 
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from several OIG I&E offices are consulting on 

its development. Committee members generally 

agreed that the I&E Navigator, scheduled to be 

completed in late FY 2019, has the potential to 

be a helpful tool for inspectors in accomplishing 

their I&E oversight mission. CIGIE anticipates 

developing similar tools for investigations, audits, 

and OIG leadership.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency 

OIG provided a presentation concerning their 

experiences audiotaping inspection interviews. 

Since FY 2017, NGA’s Inspections Division has 

made recorded interviews an option for sources. 

These recorded interviews supplement traditional 

handwritten note taking. Both the recording 

and the handwritten notes form the basis of the 

official record. To date, 113 interviewees have 

selected this recording option while only one 

has declined. NGA found that the recordings 

can improve efficiency and effectiveness by 

increasing comprehension, de-confliction 

between interviewers, transparency, level of 

detail, and the ability to have speech-to-text 

transcription. The recordings proved especially 

beneficial when interview subjects provided 

highly technical or complex information. NGA 

offered to provide further insights into recorded 

interviews for partner OIG inspection programs 

that may be considering adding the capability to 

their processes. The Department of Justice OIG 

inspection program uses recorded interviews as 

well. 

ODNI Systems & Resource Analyses (SRA) 

provided an overview of the vision and 

foundational priorities of “IC2025,” newly 

established guiding principles created with input 

from the IC elements meant to better execute 

community missions. The guiding principles are: 

• Augmenting Intelligence Using Machines; 

• The Right, Trusted, Agile Workforce; 

• Comprehensive Cyber Posture; 

• Modern Data Management and Infrastructure; 

• Private Sector Partnerships; and 

• Acquisition Agility. 

ODNI anticipates embedding these priorities into 

IC strategy and budgetary guidance, and the IC 

elements are expected to consider them as they 

act on initiatives and prioritize them in their program 

builds. Cross-IC teams of visionary leaders will 

develop actionable recommendations for initiatives 

in line with these priorities. SRA encouraged OIGs 

to consider implementing the IC2025 vision in their 

future work plans.

Investigations Committee

The Forum’s Investigations Committee met twice 

during this reporting period to discuss several 

key initiatives related to unauthorized disclosure 

investigations, utilizing Financial Crimes Enforcement 

Network data, and best practices in implementing 

electronic case management tracking systems. The 

Committee held a robust discussion on intelligencerelated exploitation of open source information. The 

Committee received a demonstration of various online 

investigative tools and techniques used to exploit open 

source information, including various social media 

platforms. 

In the second quarterly Investigations Committee 

meeting, the Committee hosted a representative from 

the CIA’s Open Source Enterprise who provided an 

overview of multiple talent recruitment programs for 

global experts. The presentation included examples 

of illegal activities identified in one of the programs, 

followed by a discussion of the potential role of OIGs 

in detecting potential fraud, waste, and abuse within 

those programs.

A CIGIE Training Institute staff member discusses an online tool and methodology currently under development. 

(ICIG photo)
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Abbreviations and Acronyms

AFR Agency Financial Report

AUD Audit Division (ICIG)

CPD Center for Protected Disclosures

CFO Chief Financial Officer (ODNI)

CIA Central Intelligence Agency

CIGIE Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and 

Efficiency

CIO Chief Information Officer 

CMTS Case Management Tracking System

COO Chief Operating Officer 

CTIIC Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center

DIA Defense Intelligence Agency

DIG Deputy IG

DNI Director of National Intelligence

DOJ Department of Justice

ERP External Review Panel

FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation 

FISA Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

FISMA Federal Information Security Modernization Act 

FOIA Freedom of Information Act

FY Fiscal Year

GAO Government Accountability Office

GC General Counsel (ICIG)

HPSCI House Permanent Select Committee on 

Intelligence

I&E Inspections & Evaluations Division (ICIG)

IC Intelligence Community

ICIG Office of the Inspector General of the 

Intelligence Community

ICC-B ODNI Intelligence Community CampusBethesda facility

ICWPA Intelligence Community Whistleblower 

Protection Act

IG Inspector General

INS Inspections Division (ICIG)

INV Investigations Division (ICIG)

IPERIA Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery 

Improvement Act

IT Information Technology

M&A Management & Administration Division (ICIG)

MC Management Challenges

NGA National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

NRO National Reconnaissance Office

NSA National Security Agency

O&M Operations & Maintenance

ODNI Office of the Director of National Intelligence

OGC Office of the General Counsel (ICIG) 

OGE Office of Government Ethics

OIG Office of the Inspector General

OPR Office of Professional Responsibility (DOJ)

PDIG Principal Deputy IG

PPD Presidential Policy Directive

SRA Systems & Resource Analyses

SSCI Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

SPFIR Summary of Performance and Financial 

Information Report (ODNI CFO)
BE PART OF THE SOLUTION

YOU JOINED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. REPORT FOR THE SAME REASON.

ICIG HOTLINE

NEW CONTACTS LOGGED BY ICIG

THIS REPORTING PERIOD 

METHODS OF CONTACT

logged by the ICIG this reporting period, 

including repeat contacts and excluding walk-ins

447

16 163

32

19

Phone Calls

Emails

USPS Mail

Faxes Online Form

291

Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community | 571-204-8149 | Hotline: 855-731-3260 | 933-2800 secure

12290 Sunrise Valley Drive, Gate 3, Reston, VA 20191 | secure email: ICIG_HOTLINETEAM | website: dni.gov/icig

The hotline intake process provides a confidential means for Intelligence 

Community employees, contractors, and the public to report fraud, waste, and 

abuse. This process includes secure and commercial email and phone numbers, 

U.S. mail, anonymous secure web application submissions, and walk-ins.