Military Defense Investigation Knowledge Base
Military Defense Investigation Authority Publication
Authority Publication No. DI-107
Challenging a Search Authorization Based on Omissions, Misstatements, or Stale Information
Independent Military Defense Investigations
Supporting Attorneys, Service Members, and Families
Publication Date: August 24, 2026
────────────────────────────────────────
Executive Summary
DI-107 explains how to audit a military search authorization for material omissions, changed wording, unsupported claims, and stale information.
A search request can sound certain even when its sources were qualified, indirect, or old.
DI-107 provides a line-by-line method for comparing the authorization request with original interviews, records, attachments, oral supplements, and investigative timelines.
It focuses on unsupported assertions, transformed hearsay, omitted context, recantations, innocent explanations, and whether the information remained current for the evidence and location involved.
The result is a verifiable record for counsel—not an investigator’s legal conclusion—showing what the authorizing official received and how that presentation compares with the underlying evidence.
Who Should Read This Publication?
Military Defense Counsel
Use the source audit to evaluate probable cause, materiality, recklessness, good faith, preservation, motion practice, and appropriate remedies.
Defense Investigators
Collect the entire authorization packet, trace each assertion to its source, build dual timelines, and document omissions and qualifications precisely.
Service Members
Understand why the defense needs complete records and why evidence found later does not answer what was known before the search.
Experts
Address defined digital, temporal, forensic, or record-retention questions relevant to staleness or source reliability.
Families
Preserve notices, inventories, communications, and contemporaneous records without confronting witnesses or attempting to retrieve seized items.
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.