The current mission of the Inspector General is prescribed by Title 10 (§ 8020) and Title 32 of the United States Code (§ 105) to develop United States Air Force (USAF) and United States Space Force (USSF) policy to assess readiness, discipline and efficiency with a vision to help shape senior leader decisions affecting the readiness of the USAF and USSF to strengthen the nation's defense.

In December 1971, Lt Gen Louis L. Wilson Jr. oversees the activation of the Air Force Inspection and Safety Center (which became the Air Force Inspection Agency in 1991) to provide independent assessments of acquisition, safety, nuclear surety, operations, logistics, support, and healthcare to USAF senior leaders.

It also evaluates USAF activities, personnel, and policies, and provides legal and compliance oversight of all Air Force-level Field Operating Agencies and Direct Reporting Units.

In September 1986, as a result of the Goldwater–Nichols Act, the Inspector General moved directly under the Secretary of the Air Force.

In June 2016, the Air Force IG, and its database contractor Lockheed Martin, came under criticism when 100,000 official records dating back to 2004 were lost due to corrupted data.