Congress sought a single investigative branch after the Air Force separated from the Army in 1947. The Office of Special Investigations stood up on August 1, 1948 under Secretary Stuart Symington, who tapped former FBI aide Joseph F. Carroll as first commander.
Carroll's charter directed OSI to provide independent felony investigations, fraud detection, and counterespionage for every Air Force activity.12
Evolving Structure and Global Reach
During the Cold War OSI grew alongside the service, fielding detachments on every continent and embedding agents with combat wings. A 1992 reorganization aligned seven field investigations regions with major commands, while specialized squadrons handled procurement fraud, special access programs, and cyber forensics.
Today, headquarters sits at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, overseeing roughly 2,000 sworn special agents and 1,000 civilian personnel distributed across more than 255 units worldwide.34
Core Responsibilities
OSI pursues five enduring lines of effort: neutralize foreign intelligence threats, investigate serious crime, protect critical technology, provide protective service operations, and deliver specialized services such as digital forensics and behavioral science consultation.
The command also serves as executive agency for the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center. High-profile missions have included joint terrorism task force work after 9/11 and the 2014 investigation that uncovered proficiency-test cheating among missile launch officers at Malmstrom AFB.3
Notable Field Operations
UFO and UAP Involvement
Because OSI owns both counterintelligence and security, agents have surfaced in several celebrated UFO incidents. Declassified files confirm OSI teams interviewed radar operators after the 1980 Bentwaters–Rendlesham events in England and opened inquiries into leaks of classified sightings.5
Researchers also uncovered 1950s memoranda showing the office tracked unauthorized disclosures of "flying saucer" reports.6
Controversy followed former Special Agent Richard C. Doty, who admits feeding fabricated UFO documents to civilian investigators during a 1980s disinformation effort targeting contractor Paul Bennewitz. Doty's claims, and OSI's silence on whether the operation was sanctioned, seeded enduring myths about MJ-12 and crashed-saucer retrievals.7
Contemporary Role
Brigadier General Amy Bumgarner became OSI's 19th commander in 2023. Her priorities include protecting space systems, securing supply chains, and countering foreign malign influence aimed at U.S. airmen and guardians. From insider-threat detection at hypersonic test sites to force-protection detachments at overseas embassies, OSI remains the Air and Space Forces' principal shield against espionage, terrorism, and major crime.