CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – Inspectors general with the National Guard Bureau’s Office of the Inspector General, Intelligence Oversight Branch, arrived at Camp Murray, Wash., on Sept. 5, 2025, for a three-day intelligence oversight inspection of three units to verify compliance and provide assistance to the leaders in the Washington National Guard intelligence community.
These Soldiers and Airmen use their skillsets to support disaster response here in the state, provide federated intelligence support to global military operations, and are capable of deploying worldwide. These guard units assist state agencies as ordered, giving careful consideration to civil liberties, federal law, and military regulation.
“It’s important because you want to make sure that your program is running properly [in order] to catch the activity that shouldn’t be happening,” said U.S. Army Capt. Jason Cole, training officer for the 341st Military Intelligence Battalion, 56th Theater Information Operations Group, Washington National Guard. “You’re trying to protect the rights of U.S. citizens, but you’re also trying to make sure that your personnel aren’t getting to a point where they may be found legally liable.”
The purpose of IG intelligence oversight inspections is to verify intelligence components and activities are complying with appropriate laws and policies, with an emphasis on ensuring these components and activities perform their authorized intelligence functions in a manner that protects an individual’s constitutional rights.
When intelligence units receive these biennial inspections, they are given an outside perspective to ensure that they are doing what they should and remain a resource whenever a service member’s actions may be in question.
“Back in the 60’s and 70’s, when we didn’t have [Executive Order 12333] which helped create this program; people were violating U.S. persons’ constitutional rights all the time,” explained Cole. “You had military personnel conducting investigations on U.S. people that they shouldn’t have, because it is not in their mission set. It’s not what they should have been doing.”
In recent years, intelligence units in other states have faced corrective action – to include the disbanding of an intelligence directorate supporting a state-run operation following an investigation into questionable intelligence activities. Intelligence oversight helps prevent things like this from happening, ensuring departments have the training and resources needed for mission success while adhering to regulation.
“For U.S. persons, this program is there to protect, not only your rights, but to provide transparency in what we do, so that you can be assured we are held accountable if we do violate your rights,” said Cole.