New DoD Inspector General Nominated

Last Friday, the White House announced the nomination of Jon T. Rymer for the Inspector General, Department of Defense. Here is Mr. Rymer's bio that accompanied the announcement.

Jon T. Rymer is the Inspector General (IG) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, a position he has held since 2006. From May 2012 to January 2013, he was also the interim IG of the Securities and Exchange Commission. From 1997 to 2004, he was a Director at the accounting firm of KPMG LLP. He was executive Vice President at Boatman's Bank of Arkansas from 1992 to 1997, and Executive Vice President at First American National Bank of Tennessee from 1981 to 1992. Mr. Rymer is a 33 year veteran of the active and reserve components of the U.S. Army. He is a Command Sergeant Major in the U.S. Army Reserve. He serves on the Council of Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency as a Member of the Executive Council and as Audit Committee Chairman. Mr. Rymer received a B.A. from the University of Tennessee and an M.B.A. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

The nomination is currently under consideration by the Senate Committee on Armed Services.

This is an important position as the IG sets the organization's agenda and sets the tone at the top. A lot of folks are wondering whether under new leadership, the DoD-IG will continue its bitter internecine feud with DCAA (Defense Contract Audit Agency). The IG has been extremely and exuberantly critical of DCAA in general and the quality of its audits in particular.

Comments we've seen on this nomination have been mostly postive. His tenure at FDIC and SEC garnered much praise.