Commander Directed Investigations

Commanders have an inherent authority to investigate matters under their command.

A Commander Directed Investigation, or CDI, is a tool to gather information regarding systemic problems or to look into matters involving individual conduct or responsibility.

Some matters are not appropriate for a CDI:

• Reprisal

• Senior officer misconduct

• Sexual assault

• Domestic abuse

Other matters may be investigated after coordination:

• Fraud, Waste and Abuse (coordinate with Inspector General)

• Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) offenses (coordinate with Legal)

• Discrimination (coordinate with Equal Opportunity)

A commander initiates a CDI by appointing an Investigating Officer (IO) and assigning a timeframe to complete the investigation. The IO should be equal or senior in grade to the most senior subject of the investigation and not in their chain of command.

The IO, with the assistance of an assigned legal advisor, gathers all necessary facts through witnesses, documents or other evidence to determine if the allegations are valid. All witness testimony should be under oath. If the IO believes that a military member may have committed a criminal offense, the IO should advise the witness of their rights under Article 31, UCMJ. 

At the conclusion of the investigation, the IO writes a report and addresses each allegation as "substantiated" or "not substantiated" based on the evidence. An allegation will be substantiated if it is more likely than not that the allegation is true.

After consideration of the entire file, the initiating commander considers the IO's findings and recommendations, and takes appropriate corrective action.