The Air Force is taking aim at bad actors who are engaged in corruption and acquisition fraud related to government contracting. On July 8, 2021, senior Air Force contracting officials and law enforcement personnel signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that is intended to foster stronger relationships between and information sharing among various Air Force organizations in an effort to curtail acquisition fraud and misconduct. The parties to the MOU are the Air Force Deputy Assistant Secretary for Contracting, the Deputy General Counsel for Contractor Responsibility and Conflict Resolution, the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s director of the Civil Law Domain, and the Commander of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. 

The MOU provides that the signatories will collaborate throughout the conduct of criminal and civil litigation efforts. The Air Force spends more than $70 billion on procurement projects each year and hopes the collaborative approach will save the Air Force money while maintaining the integrity of the procurement system. The Biden Administration has encouraged more collaboration between federal entities in the fight against fraud and corruption, and this MOU certainly signals that the Air Force was listening.