With respect to the information described in paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense may prohibit the Inspector General from initiating, carrying out, or completing any audit or investigation, from accessing information described in paragraph (1), or from issuing any subpoena, after the Inspector General has decided to initiate, carry out, or complete such audit or investigation, access such information, or to issue such subpoena, if the Secretary determines that such prohibition is necessary to preserve the national security interests of the United States.

If the Secretary of Defense exercises any power under paragraph (1) or (2), the Inspector General shall submit a statement concerning that exercise of power within 30 days to the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House of Representatives and to other appropriate committees or subcommittees of the Congress.

The Secretary shall, within 30 days after submission of a statement under paragraph (3), transmit a statement of the reasons for the exercise of power under paragraph (1) or (2) to the congressional committees specified in paragraph (3) and to other appropriate committees or subcommittees.

be the principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense for matters relating to the prevention and detection of fraud, waste, and abuse in the programs and operations of the Department;

initiate, conduct, and supervise such audits and investigations in the Department of Defense (including the military departments) as the Inspector General considers appropriate;

provide policy direction for audits and investigations relating to fraud, waste, and abuse and program effectiveness;

investigate fraud, waste, and abuse uncovered as a result of other contract and internal audits, as the Inspector General considers appropriate;

develop policy, monitor and evaluate program performance, and provide guidance with respect to all Department activities relating to criminal investigation programs;

monitor and evaluate the adherence of Department auditors to internal audit, contract audit, and internal review principles, policies, and procedures;

develop policy, evaluate program performance, and monitor actions taken by all components of the Department in response to contract audits, internal audits, internal review reports, and audits conducted by the Comptroller General of the United States;

request assistance as needed from other audit, inspection, and investigative units of the Department of Defense (including military departments);

give particular regard to the activities of the internal audit, inspection, and investigative units of the military departments with a view toward avoiding duplication and ensuring effective coordination and cooperation; and

conduct, or approve arrangements for the conduct of, external peer reviews of Department of Defense audit agencies in accordance with, and in such frequency as provided by, Government auditing standards as established by the Comptroller General of the United States.

Any report required to be transmitted by the Secretary of Defense to the appropriate committees or subcommittees of the Congress under section 405(e) of this title shall also be transmitted, within the 7-day period specified in section 405(e) of this title, to the congressional committees specified in paragraph (1).

There is a General Counsel to the Inspector General of the Department of Defense, who shall be appointed by the Inspector General of the Department of Defense.

There is an Office of the General Counsel to the Inspector General of the Department of Defense. The Inspector General may appoint to the Office to serve as staff of the General Counsel such legal counsel as the Inspector General considers appropriate.

The Inspector General of the Department of Defense is authorized to require by subpoena the attendance and testimony of witnesses as necessary in the performance of functions assigned to the Inspector General by this chapter, except that the Inspector General shall use procedures other than subpoenas to obtain attendance and testimony from Federal employees.

A subpoena issued under this subsection, in the case of contumacy or refusal to obey, shall be enforceable by order of any appropriate United States district court.

The Inspector General shall notify the Attorney General 7 days before issuing any subpoena under this section.