NASA Office of Inspector General
Encyclopedia
The NASA Office of Inspector General (NASA OIG or OIG) is the inspector general
office in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
, the space agency of the United States
. The OIG's stated mission
is to "prevent and detect crime, fraud
, waste, abuse, and mismanagement and promote efficiency, effectiveness, and economy throughout NASA."
The current NASA Inspector General is Paul K. Martin.
and investigative units at 63 federal agencies, including NASA.
NASA OIG's Computer Crimes Division (CCD) has had a number of successes with regard to investigating intrusions into NASA computer networks. CCD successes include joint investigations with U.S. and foreign counterparts that resulted in arrests, indictments and convictions of hackers located in Venezuela, Italy, Turkey, England, Portugal, Nigeria, and Romania.
NASA OIG special agent badges have a striking appearance, for at the center of each badge is the blue NASA logo
. In addition to the badge each agent carries credentials which set out the agents law enforcement authority and contain a one inch by one inch head and shoulders picture of the agent. NASA OIG special agents are armed, have arrest authority and can execute search warrants. They receive their law enforcement training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
in Glynco, Georgia. Their hands-on training at Glynco includes hand-to-hand combat, arrest techniques, small arms and shotgun training, high speed pursuit and skid techniques, water safety, interrogation techniques, surveillance training, and search warrant execution techniques. They also have an extensive classroom program at Glynco that includes criminal law, criminal procedure, and related disciplines. The classes contain Agents from various agencies, and the top graduate is designated the class honor graduate.
, Dryden Flight Research Center
, Ames Research Center,
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
, John C. Stennis Space Center
, Langley Research Center
, Kennedy Space Center
, John H. Glenn Research Center
, Goddard Space Flight Center
, and George C. Marshall Space Flight Center. It is divided into four offices:
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
office in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
, the space agency of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The OIG's stated mission
Mission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
is to "prevent and detect crime, fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
, waste, abuse, and mismanagement and promote efficiency, effectiveness, and economy throughout NASA."
The current NASA Inspector General is Paul K. Martin.
History and mandate
The NASA Office of Inspector General was created in accordance with the Inspector General Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-452). The act created Offices of Inspector General (OIGs) to provide independent auditAudit
The general definition of an audit is an evaluation of a person, organization, system, process, enterprise, project or product. The term most commonly refers to audits in accounting, but similar concepts also exist in project management, quality management, and energy conservation.- Accounting...
and investigative units at 63 federal agencies, including NASA.
NASA OIG's Computer Crimes Division (CCD) has had a number of successes with regard to investigating intrusions into NASA computer networks. CCD successes include joint investigations with U.S. and foreign counterparts that resulted in arrests, indictments and convictions of hackers located in Venezuela, Italy, Turkey, England, Portugal, Nigeria, and Romania.
NASA OIG special agent badges have a striking appearance, for at the center of each badge is the blue NASA logo
NASA logo
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration logo has three main official designs, although the one with stylized red curved text has been retired from official use since 1992...
. In addition to the badge each agent carries credentials which set out the agents law enforcement authority and contain a one inch by one inch head and shoulders picture of the agent. NASA OIG special agents are armed, have arrest authority and can execute search warrants. They receive their law enforcement training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center serves as an interagency law enforcement training organization for 90 United States government federal law enforcement agencies.-Location:...
in Glynco, Georgia. Their hands-on training at Glynco includes hand-to-hand combat, arrest techniques, small arms and shotgun training, high speed pursuit and skid techniques, water safety, interrogation techniques, surveillance training, and search warrant execution techniques. They also have an extensive classroom program at Glynco that includes criminal law, criminal procedure, and related disciplines. The classes contain Agents from various agencies, and the top graduate is designated the class honor graduate.
Staff and offices
The OIG employs about 190 people, including auditors, analysts, specialists, investigators, attorneys, and support staff. It has offices in 11 NASA facilities: NASA HeadquartersNASA Headquarters
Two Independence Square, often referenced as NASA Headquarters, is a low-rise building in the two-building Independence Square complex at 300 E Street SW in Washington D.C. The building houses NASA leadership who provide overall guidance and direction to the US government executive branch agency...
, Dryden Flight Research Center
Dryden Flight Research Center
The Dryden Flight Research Center , located inside Edwards Air Force Base, is an aeronautical research center operated by NASA. On March 26, 1976 it was named in honor of the late Hugh L. Dryden, a prominent aeronautical engineer who at the time of his death in 1965 was NASA's deputy administrator...
, Ames Research Center,
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The facility is headquartered in the city of Pasadena on the border of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena...
, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's center for human spaceflight training, research and flight control. The center consists of a complex of 100 buildings constructed on 1,620 acres in Houston, Texas, USA...
, John C. Stennis Space Center
John C. Stennis Space Center
The John C. Stennis Space Center , located in Hancock County, Mississippi, at the Mississippi-Louisiana border, is NASA's largest rocket engine test facility.- History :...
, Langley Research Center
Langley Research Center
Langley Research Center is the oldest of NASA's field centers, located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. It directly borders Poquoson, Virginia and Langley Air Force Base...
, Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
, John H. Glenn Research Center
Glenn Research Center
NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field is a NASA center, located within the cities of Brook Park, Cleveland and Fairview Park, Ohio between Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the Cleveland Metroparks's Rocky River Reservation, and has other subsidiary facilities in Ohio...
, Goddard Space Flight Center
Goddard Space Flight Center
The Goddard Space Flight Center is a major NASA space research laboratory established on May 1, 1959 as NASA's first space flight center. GSFC employs approximately 10,000 civil servants and contractors, and is located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C. in Greenbelt, Maryland, USA. GSFC,...
, and George C. Marshall Space Flight Center. It is divided into four offices:
- Office of Audits (OA)
- Office of Investigations (OI)
- Computer Crimes Division (CCD)
- Office of Counsel (OC)
- Office of Management and Planning (OMP)