Francis R. Dillon (November 3, 1939 – July 5, 2023) was a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

Special Agent In the United States, a special agent is an official title used to refer to certain investigators or detectives of federal, military, tribal, or state agencies who primarily serve in criminal investigatory positions. Additionally, some special ...

) who served as the 11th Commander of the

Air Force Office of Special Investigations The Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI or AFOSI) is a U.S. federal law enforcement agency that reports directly to the Secretary of the Air Force. OSI is also a U.S. Air Force field operating agency under the administrative guida ...

(AFOSI),

Bolling AFB Bolling Air Force Base or Bolling AFB was a United States Air Force installation located in Washington, D.C. In 2010, it merged with Naval Support Facility Anacostia to form Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling. From its establishment, the base has s ...

, Washington, D.C. As the AFOSI Commander, Dillon was responsible for providing commanders of all Air Force activities independent professional investigative services regarding

fraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...

counterintelligence Counterintelligence (counter-intelligence) or counterespionage (counter-espionage) is any activity aimed at protecting an agency's Intelligence agency, intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering informati ...

and major criminal matters by using a worldwide network of agents stationed at all major Air Force installations and a variety of special operating locations.

Education

Through the Reserve Officer Training Corps, Dillon earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Connecticut. Dillon also has a master's degree from Troy State University. He also completed courses at Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, Air War College, and the Defense Language Institute.

Military career

Upon graduation from the University of Connecticut, Dillon commissioned into the

in 1968. He spent the majority of his career as a special agent of the AFOSI, where he conducted and supervised felony-level criminal, fraud#North America, fraud, and

investigations and operations. He commanded at the detachment, squadron and wing levels. His assignments included two overseas postings, which were Munich and Wiesbaden, Germany. Additionally, Dillon served as an assistant professor of aerospace studies with the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J. Prior to his last assignment as Commander of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Commander of AFOSI, Dillon served as the Vice Commander of AFOSI. As Commander of AFOSI, Dillon was interviewed by ''The Washington Post'' about an Air Force captain allegedly spying for U.S. adversaries in West Berlin, Germany. When asked by reporters to clarify if an investigation was ongoing, Dillon told reporters, "This was very premature, this should have never been leaked out." The Pentagon, Pentagon officials also described previous news reports on the matter, as premature and misleading; however, an Air Force spokesperson emphasized a "full and thorough investigation" of the matter was under way.

Post-military

After retiring, Dillon published a book, served on local community boards, and lobbied members of the U.S. Congress to name a few. For instance, Dillon published ''Vacationland Terrorists: Alarm in the Countryside'' in 2014. Additionally, he served on the Bath Housing Authority Board of Directors with a term that expired in 2021. Dillon, along with several other retired military generals, supported the "2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act" and urged members of Congress to refrain from pursuing any mechanism that would weaken or delay its standards. Dillon died on July 5, 2023, at the age of 83.

Major awards and decorations

Dillon was the recipient of the following:

References

Notes