The Office of United States Air Force Inspector General, tasked with conducting investigations at the direction of the Secretary of the Air Force and the Chief of Staff of the USAF, was originally created as the Air Inspector, taking the title from a position in the Army Air Forces. The Field Operating Agency carrying out the operational work of the Inspector General’s office is the Air Force Inspection Agency. The authority for the Office of USAF Inspector General to audit, investigate, and conduct inquiries is spelled out in US Code Title 10 and in Title 5, known as the Inspector General Act of 1978.
Required for wear by any Air Force Personnel who are carrying out official duties and who are assigned to an Inspector General’s office following completion of the Inspector General Training Course, the USAF Inspector General (IG) Duty badge is issued by the wearer’s unit of assignment and is presented in a formal ceremony. The badge is not allowed to be worn when the wearer is no longer assigned to an authorized Inspector General position.
The current version of the USAF IG Duty badge was introduced in August, 2014. The focal point of the badge is a gold American bald eagle, a traditional symbol of the United States that also recalls the might of the country’s air power. In the eagle’s talons are an olive branch and 13 arrows, denoting the peace that is ensured by a strong, ever-vigilant military force. Behind the eagle’s head is the Latin inscription Fortificare et Emendare, translated “To Strengthen and Improve the Force.” Surmounting the eagle are “Hap Arnold Wings” and the old USAAF aerial marking of a five-pointed star with a red circle.