DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  AIR  FORCE 
Headquarters  US  Air  Force 
Washington  DC  20330 
AF  REGULATION  23-18 
24  November  1980 
Organization  and  Mission— Field 
AIR  FORCE  OFFICE  OF  SPECIAL  INVESTIGATIONS  (AFOSI) 
This  regulation  explains  the  mission,  functions,  and  responsibilities  of  AFOSI.  It  applies  to  AFOSI  and  carries  out  the 
instructions  of  DOD  Directive C-5 100.78,  25  November  1975,  with  change  I;DOD  Directive 5240.2,  18  December  1979; and 
DOD  Regulation  5240. 1-R. 
1.  General  Information.  AFOSI  is  the  only  Air  Force 
organization  authorized  to  investigate  matters  that  fall 
within  its  overall  mission.  Each  investigative  activity  is 
undertaken  at  the  request  of  the  proper  authority  (see  AFR 
124-4).  All  counterintelligence  activities  are  conducted 
according  to  Executive  Order  12036,  24  January  1978,  and 
the  proper  AFOSI  directives. 
2.  AFOSI  Overall  Mission.  AFOSI  provides  the  following 
services  to  all  Air  Force  activities  and  to  elements  of  Defense 
agencies  overseas  when  the  Air  Force  is  responsible  for 
administrative  or  logistical  support.  It  also  provides  these 
services  to  other  Department  of  Defense  (DOD)  elements  in 
designated  oversea  areas  where  AFOSI  is  the  sole  in- 
country  DOD  investigative  agency  or  where  AFOSI  has 
been  assigned  investigative  responsibility. 
a.  Criminal,   counterterrorism,    internal  security,  and 
special  investigative  services. 
b.  Personal  protective  services  and  operations. 
c.  Collect  and  report  information  that  is  pertinent  to  base 
security  and  resource  protection. 
d.  Counterintelligence  services  and  support  that  include: 
(1)  Collecting,  analyzing,  evaluating,  and 
disseminating  information  of  counterintelligence 
significance.  It  also  includes  producing  studies,  estimates, 
and  analyses  of  foreign  intelligence  services,  their 
organization,  methods  of  operation,  personnel,  activities, 
communication,  funding  and  support,  and  concerning  the 
activities  of  international  terrorists  and  related  security 
threats  to  Air  Force  and  DOD  interests. 
(2)  Producing,  in  support  of  US  Air  Force  and  DOD 
operations  security  (OPSEC)  programs,  studies  and 
analyses  of  the  multidiscipline  intelligence  threat  posed  to 
the  Air  Force  and  DOD  by  foreign  intelligence  services, 
including  threats  to  US  Air  Force  and  DOD  systems, 
targeting,  control  mechanisms,  deployment,  and 
capabilities. 
(3)  Counterintelligence  investigations  to  detect  and 
neutralize  or  prevent  espionage  activities,  and  to  detect  and 
resolve  foreign-directed  sabotage  incidents,  terrorist 
activities,  and  assassinations. 
(4)  Offensive  counterintelligence  operations  against 
hostile  foreign  intelligence  services  to  identify  and  exploit 
hostile  agents,  lessen  the  hostile  intelligence  threat,  uncover 
Supersedes  AFR  23-18,  19  September  1977.  (See  signature 
page  for  summary  of  changes) 
No.  of  Printed  Pages:  3 
OPR:  HQ  AFOSI/ XPP  (Capt  F.  N.  Voigtmann) 
Approved  by:  HQ  AFOSI/ XP  (Rudolph  M.  Schellhammer) 
Writer-Editor  M.  M.  Green 
Distribution:  F 
espionage  penetration  of  the  Air  Force,  and  identify  hostile 
intelligence  targeting  of  Air  Force  personnel,  information. 
and  resources. 
3.  Elements  and  Objectives.  The  AFOSI  is  the  only  agency 
in  the  Air  Force  authorized  to  carry  out  certain 
responsibilities  for  the  Inspector  General.  Specifically,  these 
are: 
a.  Organizational.  Organizes,  sets  up,  or  discontinues 
units  under  AFOSI  control  at  specific  sites  and  assigns  a 
territory  for  each  unit  to  investigate. 
b.  Investigative  Operations: 
(1)  Conducts  investigations  within  the  Air  Force.  These 
include  investigating  alleged  major  crimes  against  people, 
personal  property,  the  US  government  or  its  property 
according  to  regulations  and  laws  and  as  authorized  by 
agreements  (see  AFRs  124-11  and  124-12).  These  crimes 
include  but  are  not  limited  to; 
(a)  Arson,  bribery,  homicide,  counterfeiting,  sex 
offenses,  impersonation,  improper  use  or  diversion  of  US 
government  property  or  employees,  forgery,  robbery, 
housebreaking,  drug  abuse,  and  other  crimes  that  violate  the 
Uniform  Code  of  Military  Justice  or  other  federal  laws  and 
directives. 
(b)  Fraud  against  the  United  States  that  occurs  in 
(but  not  limited  to)  contracting  matters,  appropriated  and 
nonappropriated  fund  activities,  computer  systems,  pay  and 
allowance  matters,  and  acquiring  or  disposing  of  Air  Force 
property. 
(c)  Treason,  sedition,  subversion,  major  security 
violations,  terrorism,  espionage;  and  other  clandestine 
intelligence  activities,  sabotage,  and  related  matters. 
(d)  Other  crimes  (major  or  minor)  or  matters  that 
need  full  or  specialized  investigation. 
(2)  Prepares  and  sends  periodic  or  final  investigative 
reports  to  serviced  commanders  and  activities  to  keep  them 
up-to-date  on  each  investigation.  These  reports  serve  as  the 
basis  for  appropriate  command  action. 
(3)  Conducts  technical  security  surveys  and  furnishes 
survey  information  that  concerns  security  threats  and 
known  activity  hazards  to  the  proper  Air  Force  personnel 
and  agencies. 
(4)  Monitors  and  informs  interested  Air  Force 
commanders  of  the  results  of  investigations  conducted  by 
federal,  state,  local,  and  foreign  law  enforcement  and 
investigative  agencies. 
(5)  Provides  personal  protective  services  for  senior  US 
Air  Force  officials,  certain  other  US  government  officials, 
and  foreign  dignitaries.  It  also  provides  protective  services 
for  US  Air  Force  members  who  may  have  been  singled  out 
as  targets  for  terrorist  violence.  Provides  other  personal
AFR  23-1S  3 
3Y  ORDER  OF  THE  SECRETARY  OF  THE  AIR  FORCE 
OFFICIAL  LEW  ALLEN,  JR.,  General,  USAF 
Chief  of  Staff 
VAN  L.  CRAWFORD,  JR.,  Colonel,  USAF 
Director  of  Administration 
SUMMARY  OF  CHANGES 
This  revision  clarifies  the  AFOSI  Counterintelligence  Mission  (para  2);  assigns  AFOSI  the  responsibility  of  making 
multidiscipiine  counterintelligence  studies  (para  3b(12));  designates  AFOSI  as  only  US  Air  Force  entity  authorized  to  get 
information  from  financial  institutions  (para  3g);  designates  AFOSI  as  OPR  for  all  Air  Force  regulations  dealing  with  the 
AFOSI  investigative  and  counterintelligence  programs  (para  4);  spells  out  the  special  counterintelligence  relationship 
between  AFOSI  and  DUSD(PR)  (para  4);  deletes  the  position  of  Director  of  Special  Investigation  as  a  secondary  position  for 
the  Commander,  AFOSI  (para  4);  and  clarifies  the  role  of  the  Commander,  AFOSI,  with  regard  to  the  Chief  of  Staff  and  the 
Inspector  General  (para  4).  This  revision  implements  DOD  Directives  5240.2  and  DOD  Regulation  5240. 1-R.