So what is DD Form 2949? The short answer: a Defense Department document, officially DD Form 2949, Joint Inspector General Action Request, September 2011, used to Joint Inspector General Action Request. Anything else you need follows from that.
Will you need a different form because of where you serve? No. DD forms are Department-wide instruments, and that scope is what separates them from service publications. One edition, all branches, defense agencies included.
Where does the requirement come from? From not stated, with not stated responsible for the document itself. Those are the names to cite if anyone asks under what authority you filed.
Is this the right edition? The current one is dated not stated, and the publisher carries it as not stated. Check that against whatever copy you already have before going further.
What the form asks for
- 1. Name (last, first, middle initial).
- 2. Grade/rank.
- 3. Social security number (optional).
- 4. Status. X first box if military, second if civilian.
- If military: X first box if Air Force, second if Army, third if Navy, fourth if Marine Corps, fifth if Coast Guard.
- X first box if Active Duty, second if Reserve, third if National Guard, fourth if other.
- If other, specify.
- If civilian: X first box if appropriated fund, second if nonappropriated fund.
- X if contractor.
- X if foreign or local national.
- X if other.
- If other, specify.
- 5. Unit identification code/organization address.
- 7. Contact telephone numbers (include area code/DSN). a. Duty.
- b. Home.
- c. Cell.
- 6. Preferred mailing address (if different).
- 8. E-mail address(es).
- 9. Specific action requested (what do you want the IG to do for you?).
- 10. Information pertaining to this request (background, list attached documents, others talked with about this matter, etc.).
- 11. Statement. X first box if I do, second box if I do not consent to release my personal information inside official channels.
- a. Date signed (4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day).
- b. Signature.
- 12. IG/Case number (assigned by Joint IG).
Download the form
What formats exist for this form? PDF. What is the scale of it? 1 pages and approximately 25 fields.
What is the difference between fillable and printable? A fillable pdf has real field boxes that accept typed text and hold it inside the file. A printable pdf is a flat blank with no fields at all, intended for a printer and a pen. Which one you have determines how you complete the form, so it is worth checking first.
Is handwriting acceptable? Yes, but it is the weaker choice. Scanning flattens pen strokes and reproduction blurs them, while typed characters survive the whole chain intact. Print in capitals if you are working from a paper blank.
In what order do you complete it? The printed order, top to bottom. Header data comes before the body, and the body before the signature block. The sequence is not decorative — later entries are keyed to earlier ones.
Why does the edition matter so much here? Because DD forms are revised centrally. When the Department reissues one, it reissues it for all branches simultaneously, and the field layout can shift. Compare the printed date against not stated before you type anything.
What if a specific field still puzzles you? Read the instructions printed on the form, then not stated. Which wins if they differ? The directive.
What happens after you finish? It routes to the office specified in not stated or in local guidance. And your own record? Save a duplicate first; nobody regrets having one.
How do you find a form referenced inside this one? By its number alone. The DD sequence runs across the entire Department, so a number identifies exactly one document regardless of which service cited it.
Why do some instructions cite both a DA and a DD form? Because the procedure touches both systems, not because the forms are related. Service forms answer to a service proponent; DD forms answer to not stated or another Department office. The sequences were never aligned.
How often does a form like this change? Unpredictably — revision follows directive changes, altered collection requirements and updated notice language. What is the practical defence? Verifying not stated every time you download rather than trusting a saved copy.
Is any of this advice? No. This page distributes a published Defense form and explains its contents, which is a different thing from telling you whether your circumstances qualify or whether a reviewer will accept your copy. Direct questions of eligibility, applicability and procedure to not stated, to your servicing personnel office, or to the office designated in not stated.
Questions and answers
- What is DD Form 2949?
- DD Form 2949, Joint Inspector General Action Request, September 2011
- Which edition is current?
- Not stated by the publisher
- Who is responsible for this form?
- Not stated
- In which formats can it be downloaded?