Hill Air Force Base, Utah–A common occurrence in the current Department of Defense environment is when leaders hold subordinates accountable, those leaders then get investigated for all sorts of false allegations. This is especially true for commanders. But the right to legal advise exists for commanders, too, and should be exercised.
In this particular case, the commander held another senior leader accountable for their actions, and it resulted in a claim of reprisal against the commander. Because allegations of reprisal weren’t always considered appropriately, now the Department of Defense thoroughly investigates them: even when clearly raised by a disgruntled subordinate.
In this case, Mr. Tolin reviewed the allegations, all the evidence available to the commander, and prepared the commander for a live interview with a Senior Investigator from the Department of Defense Officer of Inspector General. Mr. Tolin then provided the evidence the investigator did not have.
Appropriately, the IG ultimately unfounded the reprisal allegation, freeing the O-7 to focus on the high-level mission currently assigned.