Settling In: IGs Team Up

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Michael Duhe
  • Senior Staff Writer
KEESLER AFB, Miss. --  The 403rd Wing has two new faces in the inspector general's office. Lt. Col. Joe Chautin and Maj. Allyson Chauvin recently joined the unit and are serving dually in the role of inspector general.
The IG serves as an ombudsman for the wing. IG has two branches - the inspection side and the complaint side. At the unit level, the 403rd IG office handles complaints.
While it may seem out of the ordinary to have two inspectors general, it does have advantages, according to Major Chauvin.
"It's a benefit to have a female on the staff," she said. "Some people want to come in to talk or vent, not to lodge a formal complaint. That's fine. Having both a male and female on the staff helps facilitate communication."
The IG initially receives complaints that can't be resolved through the member's chain of command. The IG will act to resolve the complaint or forward it to a more appropriate agency, such as Military Equal Opportunity. In some cases, a complaint will be sent to command level.
IG complaints usually fit into specialized categories, such as Fraud, Waste and Abuse, and reprisals or other problems occurring in the unit based on prior performance. The IG also provides "assists" with situations that don't fit into the category of a complaint.
"We're a safety valve...a way that allows people to let that steam off if there's a problem going on," said Colonel Chautin. "Sometimes people just want to talk about it and get it off their chest, or get some perspective on an issue."
The IG is not only a conduit for those complaints, but can also help commanders understand issues occurring in their units. "We can help get issues resolved at the unit level," said Colonel Chautin.
The IGs have already met with several commanders, first sergeants and members of the 403rd.
"I try not to stay here in the office," said Colonel Chautin. "I try to get out and make sure we're accessible to people. We want everyone to know we're here."
The new IGs have also been visiting units recently to help them prepare for the Operational Readiness Inspection in December.
Both were previously assigned to the 926th Wing before the unit was realigned last year. Colonel Chautin was as an intelligence officer and services squadron commander. Major Chauvin was operations group executive officer and mobility officer.
Their careers include active duty service as well. Colonel Chautin served as an intelligence officer in Boerfink, Germany. He was in Germany in 1989 when the Berlin Wall was brought down, signifying the end of communism's chokehold on eastern Europe. "It was fantastic," he said. "I wouldn't trade it for anything. I chipped my own pieces off the Berlin Wall."
As a civilian, Colonel Chautin is an attorney, practicing communications law and copyright law.
Major Chauvin was an AWACs instructor weapons director during her time in active duty. In her civilian job, she is a financial advisor for J.P. Morgan Chase and a certified financial planner.
Major Chauvin said that members of the 403rd have been receptive and helpful to former members of the 926th who have joined the unit. "That has made the transition easier for us."