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  • Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Martin Carney in his Air Force blues prior to defecting. (Photo courtesy BBC World Service)

    Jeffrey Martin Carney: An AF deserter turned spy

    In 1982, Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Carney served in Germany as a linguist and cryptographer. He studied the German language, culture and history and became fascinated with the Nazi era. His sympathies stemmed partially from seeing himself as an unfortunate underdog, much as many Germans had done before the war.
  • Pictured is retired Col. (SA) Richard F. Law's Iran identification card while he was Commander of OSI Detachment 6930, Tehran, in June, 1970. (Courtesy photo)

    In the Midst of a Revolution: OSI Agents in Iran

    From 1966-1979, agents of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, now the Office of Special Investigations (OSI), provided counterintelligence (CI) support to U.S. military and contractor personnel, as the lone DoD CI/security agency in Iran. As part of the Military Assistance Group, agents narrowly escaped from the country when the Ayatollah Khomeini returned to power in early 1979. The antiterrorism work in Iran was the beginning of a very successful program that served as a model for future missions throughout the nation’s history.
  • On May 11, 1943, American troops invaded Japanese-occupied Attu Island, now part of Alaska. Fearing a Russian invasion, the FBI and OSI went on to train island residents. (Associated Press photo)

    The Alaska Project - An Underground Spy Network

    In the tenuous early days of the Cold War, the potential for military conflict with the Soviet Union and the spread of communism were important factors that shaped United States military policy and operations. During this time, the FBI and the United States Air Force looked toward Alaska as a crucial strategic location in the event of war with the Soviets.
  • Brig. Gen. Joseph F. Carroll (left) being sworn in as OSI's first Commander, as Chief of Staff of the Air Force Hoyt S. Vandenberg (center) witnesses the swearing in. (U.S. Air Force photo).

    The Genesis of OSI – An Unconventional Beginning

    In June 1945, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) received an anonymous letter from someone claiming to know that a high-ranking US Army Air Forces officer had participated in fraudulent acquisition activities during World War II. The writer claimed that Major General Bennett E. Meyers, Director of the Air Technical Service Command at Wright Field, Ohio, had profited from illegal wartime contracts.
  • Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center Forensic Examiner Scott Lalliss prepares to examine digital media in the DC3 Cyber Forensic Lab. Digital evidence can be any digital file from an electronic source, including email, text messages, instant messages, files and documents extracted from hard drives, electronic financial transactions, audio files and video files. (Photo by Stephen Murphy, DC3/PA)

    The origins and evolution of DC3

    For those not familiar with the Office of Special Investigations linkages to the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3), and for those with limited visibility on the evolution of DC3 over its roughly 22-year history, this article speaks to that foundational relationship, DC3’s capabilities to amplify effects for the broad range of customers it’s charged to support, and several ongoing mission adaptations to elevate support for its founding Defense Criminal Investigative Organization (DCIO) and Military Department Counterintelligence Organization (MDCO) stakeholders.
  • In just two years as an Air Force Office of Special Investigations Special Agent, Frederick Seitz, 10th Field Investigations Squadron, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, has embodied the command's Develop an Exceptional Force Line of Effort. (Photo by SA Michael Ornelaz, AFOSI 1 FIR, OL-A)

    Eclectic skillsets mark busy year for recently minted SA

    The Air Force Office of Special Investigations develops and leverages an exceptional force designed to be proficient in both law enforcement and counterintelligence operations, in multiple domains with a proactive hunter mentality. To that end, each special agent in the command is equipped with eclectic skillsets to suit a myriad of situations.
  • Special Agent Russ Ward conducts a simulated interview.

    OSI: Finding the truth for Herk Nation

    A controlled perimeter wrapped in fluorescent yellow tape demands curious bystanders stay back from the crime scene. Armed agents circle the tape, while crime scene investigators carefully analyze the scene, tagging, logging and preserving evidence for forensic scientists to analyze later. When thinking of a special agent, some immediately think of the portrayal on television, but in the case of the Office of Special Investigations, there is much more to it.
  • Each inductee into the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Hall of Fame receives an award like this one belonging to 2014 Hall of Fame Inductee Special Agent (Retired) Roscoe Hinton. (AFOSI photo by Michael Hastings)

    Hall of Fame program enshrines legacy

    Since 1998, as part of its 50th Anniversary Year celebration, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations has revered a select few in its ranks to be forever enshrined in the AFOSI Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was created to recognize those who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and leadership traits in the performance of their duties, setting them apart from others who have served in the agency.
  • Apollo 17, the final Apollo mission in December 1972, provided now retired Air Force Office of Special Investigations Special Agents Bill Arnold and Bob Cote a most memorable Protective Service Operation when they supported family members of the crew. (NASA graphic)

    A PSO to remember

    This year's 50th Anniversary observance of the Apollo 11 mission, which landed the first men on the moon, rekindled fond memories of the final Apollo mission for retired AFOSI Special Agents Bill Arnold and Bob Cote. The Apollo 17 mission in December 1972 enabled the SAs to conduct a Protective Service Operation (PSO) supporting the families of the Apollo 17 crew.
  • AFOSI Special Agent Bill Lickman, Detachment 223, Tyndall, Air Force Base, Fla., pauses during a break in the sitting volleyball competition at the Department of Defense Warrior Games held at the United States Air Force Academy, Colo., in June 2018. (Photo by AFW2)

    Resiliency, perseverance fuel SA's competitive drive

    When Air Force Office of Special Investigations Special Agent (Master Sgt.) Bill Lickman does his best, he answers to his toughest critic – himself.  The June 2018 Department of Defense Warrior Games at the United States Air Force Academy, Colo., gave SA Lickman another challenge to test his mettle, vying against teams representing the Army, Navy,
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