Brig. Gen. Michael Mentavlos is the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Office of Special Investigations, Quantico Marine Ground Installation, Quantico, Virginia. He provides direct operational oversight to the management of Headquarters OSI and ten wing-equivalent regional headquarters, including 322 units worldwide. In addition, Brig. Gen. Mentavlos provides strategic oversight and direction for the Department of Air Force's only felony-level criminal, counterintelligence, and fraud programs and advises the Commander, OSI, on the planning, programming and budgeting of the command's resources. Brig. Gen. Mentavlos recently completed a 3-year tour representing the United States Air Force Reserve Command as the Committee Chair for the Defense and Security Issues Committee as part of NATO’s Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers.
Brig. Gen. Mentavlos entered the Air Force in 1997 when he was commissioned through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at The Citadel. He is a level III Joint Qualified Officer and has served in various operational, command and staff positions throughout his career as a Special Agent with OSI. Brig. Gen. Mentavlos is a fourteen-time commander and has deployed on ten separate occasions, including two deployments as a Task Force Commander. His deployed assignments include: Commander, Protective Service Detail, Baghdad, Iraq (2003–2004); Team Leader, OSI Counterintelligence Team, Forward Operating Base Salerno, Afghanistan (2006); Commander, OSI Counterintelligence Detachment (JTF Sword), Forward Operating Base Torkham, Afghanistan (2009); Regional Director of Investigations, International Contract and Corruption Task Force, Camp Eggers Afghanistan (2010); Commander, Expeditionary Detachment 2410, Forward Operating Base Warrior, Kirkuk, Iraq (2011); Regional Director of Investigations, International Contract Corruption Task Force, Camp Phoenix, Afghanistan (2013); Commander, Expeditionary Detachment 2413 (Task Force Black), Joint Base Kandahar, Afghanistan (2014), Commander, Expeditionary Detachment 2405 (Task Force Crimson), Joint Base Bagram, Afghanistan (2016), Commander, 24th Field Expeditionary Squadron, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar (2019), Senior Law Enforcement Liaison, Kyiv, Ukraine (2024), Senior Law Enforcement Liaison, Kyiv, Ukraine (2025).
In his civilian life, Brig. Gen. Mentavlos is a Special Agent with the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service. He currently serves as the Special Agent-in-Charge, Southwest Field Office, Westlake, Texas.
EDUCATION
1997 Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, The Citadel, Charleston, S.C.
2001 Master of Science, Human Resource Management, Troy State University, Troy, Ala.
2003 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence
2007 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2011 Reserve Component National Security Course, Washington, DC
2013 Air War College (hybrid), Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2016 Federal Executive Institute, Charlottesville, Va.
2017 Joint Combined Warfare School (AJPME), Norfolk, Va.
2018 NATO Senior Officer Policy Course, Oberammergau, Germany
2022 NATO Senior Reserve Officer Course, Oberammergau, Germany
ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 1998–June 2001, Special Agent, Office of Special Investigations, Detachment 105, Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
2. June 2001–December 2004, Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Operations Officer, OSI, Detachment 522, Incirlik Air Base, Türkiye
3. December 2004–December 2008, IMA to Commander, OSI, Antiterrorism Specialty Team, Lackland AFB, Texas
4. December 2008–April 2012, IMA to the Chief, Operational Plans and Readiness Division, OSI, Headquarters, Warfighting and Execution Directorate, Quantico, Va.
5. April 2012–June 2013, IMA to the Squadron Commander, OSI, 7th Field Investigations Region, 4th Field Investigative Squadron, Vogelweh Cantonment, Germany
6. June 2013–August 2015, IMA to the Squadron Commander, OSI, 7th Field Investigations Region, 6th Field Investigative Squadron, Yokota AB, Japan
7. August 2015–March 2017, IMA to the Vice Commander, OSI, 1st Field Investigations Region, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
8. March 2017–June 2018, IMA to the Commander, OSI, 2nd Field Investigations Region, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
9. June 2018–July 2020, IMA to the Commander, OSI, 6th Filed Investigations Region, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
10. July 2020–June 2023, IMA to the Vice Commander, OSI, Quantico Marine Ground Installation, Va.
11. June 2023–May 2024, IMA to the Commander, OSI, Quantico Marine Ground Installation, Va.
12. May 2024–present, Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, OSI, Quantico Marine Ground Installation, Va.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Achievement Medal
Air and Space Organizational Excellence Award with oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal
Meritorious Unit Award
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with five devices
Iraq Campaign Medal with two devices
Air and Space Expeditionary Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Secretary Award for Courage and Valor
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1999 Distinguished Graduate, Air Force Office of Special Investigations Academy
2011 Air Force Office of Special Investigations Field Grade Officer IMA of the Year
2014 Air Force Office of Special Investigations Field Grade Officer IMA of the Year
2015 Air Force Office of Special Investigations Lance P. Sijan Award
(Current as of August 2025)