AFI51-1102 governs Air Force cooperation with the Office of Special Counsel, including whistleblower disclosures and related investigations.
View AFI51-1102 on armypubs.army.mil
It assigns responsibilities and establishes procedures for cooperating with the Office of Special Counsel. It covers whistleblower disclosure cases, prohibited personnel actions, USERRA and Hatch Act investigations, legal representation, and corrective and disciplinary actions.
Applies to: This publication applies to all Air Force members and employees, to Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) personnel, and to the Air National Guard (ANG).
A disclosure shall not be excluded because— Of the employee’s or applicant’s motive for making the disclosure; Of the amount of time which has passed since the occurrence of events described; or The disclosure was made to a supervisor; was made in the normal course of duties; was made to a person who participated in the disclosed wrongdoing; revealed information that had been previously disclosed; was not made in writing; or was made while the employee was off duty.
For civilian reprisal, a disclosure of a “danger to public health or safety” must be substantial and specific.
If the disclosed danger could only result in harm under speculative or improbable conditions, or is not likely to occur in the immediate or near future but rather manifest only in the distant future, it would not qualify.
A present or former Federal employee or applicant for Federal employment who makes a protected disclosure of information he or she reasonably believes evidences: A violation of any law, rule, or regulation; Gross mismanagement; A gross waste of funds; An abuse of authority; or A substantial or specific danger to public health or safety, if such disclosures are not specifically prohibited by law and if such information is not specifically required by Executive Order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or the conduct of foreign affairs (5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8)(A)).