Military Defense Investigation Knowledge Base
Military Defense Investigation Authority Publication
Authority Publication No. DI-089
Reconstructing an Article 120 Allegation Using Phones, Access Records, Receipts, and Location Data
Independent Military Defense Investigations
Supporting Attorneys, Service Members, and Families
Publication Date: August 30, 2026
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Executive Summary
Digital evidence can narrow an Article 120 timeline, but it does not automatically establish everything that occurred during the disputed period.
DI-089 explains how defense counsel and investigators can use phone extractions, account records, message metadata, access logs, receipts, transportation records, surveillance footage, and location information to test movements, communications, opportunities, and corroboration.
Each source must be evaluated according to what it actually establishes. A message timestamp may document account activity without identifying who possessed the device. A key-card record may show that a credential was used without proving who used it. A ride receipt may establish travel between locations without determining what occurred before or after the ride.
A reliable investigation preserves original data, identifies the source and custodian, documents how each item was obtained, reconciles clocks and time zones, tests attribution, and distinguishes raw evidence from summaries and demonstratives.
The objective is not to force digital records into a preferred narrative. It is to build a transparent, source-labeled chronology showing what the evidence confirms, what it contradicts, what it cannot establish, and what remains unknown.
A phone may record activity, but it does not narrate the entire event.
In an Article 120 investigation, witnesses may disagree about when people arrived, when they left, where they traveled, and what communications occurred. Phones, access records, receipts, and location information can narrow those disputes—but every digital source has limitations.
DI-089 provides a practical framework for building a source-labeled chronology from original extractions, account records, messages, photographs, gate entries, key-card activity, lodging records, ride receipts, purchases, surveillance footage, and location data.
The publication emphasizes completeness, attribution, timing, time-zone differences, source preservation, and the limits of inference. It explains why digital evidence may help test opportunity without independently establishing what happened inside a room.
The result should be a defensible chronology that allows counsel to move from every material conclusion back to the underlying source without guessing.
Who Should Read This Publication?
Military Defense Counsel
Military defense counsel should read DI-089 to understand how digital and third-party records can test timelines, movements, communications, opportunity, and corroboration in an Article 120 investigation. The publication assists counsel in defining investigative questions, identifying custodians, and determining when legal process or expert assistance may be required.
Defense Investigators
Defense investigators will learn how to construct a source and custodian map, preserve original records, document collection methods, reconcile timestamps, test attribution, identify missing data, and build a chronology that distinguishes verified facts from inferences.
Service Members
Service members should understand that phone and account data may contain important information but should be preserved and evaluated through counsel. Deleting, editing, resetting, or selectively presenting digital material can destroy context and complicate the defense investigation.
Experts
Digital-forensic, telecommunications, geolocation, and data-analysis experts should read DI-089 to understand the need for clearly defined questions, complete source materials, documented methods, attribution analysis, and carefully limited conclusions.
Families
Families may possess messages, photographs, receipts, travel information, or account records relevant to the timeline. DI-089 explains why those materials should be preserved in their original form and provided to counsel without editing, annotation, public circulation, or independent witness contact.
Companion Video
This companion video expands on the investigative concepts presented in this Authority Publication through additional explanation, practical examples, and professional investigative insight.
About Michael West
The investigative guidance presented throughout these Authority Publications is based upon decades of professional experience conducting military, federal, criminal, civil, and private investigations. The principles discussed in these publications are drawn from real investigative work involving complex cases, witness development, evidence analysis, and factual case preparation.
Michael West has served as a Special Agent with the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) and the Department of Defense Inspector General, conducted federal background investigations, and spent decades working as a licensed private investigator supporting attorneys, businesses, service members, and private clients. Throughout his career, his work has focused on identifying facts, locating witnesses, analyzing evidence, and strengthening the factual foundation of legal cases through independent investigation.
The Military Defense Investigation Knowledge Base was created to share that investigative experience in a practical, understandable format. Its purpose is to help attorneys, service members, and families better understand the investigative process, ask more informed questions, and recognize opportunities where independent investigation may strengthen the defense.
Important Information
This Authority Publication is provided for educational and informational purposes and is intended to help readers better understand military defense investigations and the investigative process. It is based upon professional investigative experience and is designed to provide practical investigative insight rather than legal advice.
Every military case is unique. The investigative strategies, factual issues, and legal considerations applicable to one case may not apply to another. Readers should consult with a qualified attorney regarding legal rights, legal strategy, and decisions involving their individual circumstances.
Nothing contained in this publication should be interpreted as creating an attorney-client relationship or an investigator-client relationship. References to investigative techniques, procedures, or case examples are provided solely to illustrate investigative principles and should not be considered legal guidance.
Effective military defense is strengthened by informed legal representation supported by thorough factual investigation. The purpose of these Authority Publications is to help readers better understand that investigative process so they can communicate more effectively with qualified legal counsel and make informed decisions throughout the military justice process.