New California Military Department Inspector General appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom

California Military Department Public Affairs

Aug. 11, 2023

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed retired U.S. Army Col. Julian Bond as the California Military Department’s new Inspector General.  The position is authorized by the California Military and Veterans Code and reports directly to the Adjutant General, and, when appropriate, directly to the Governor.  

Col. Bond has served over 29 years of active military service (active army, guard and reserve), commanding formations at the company, battalion, brigade and installation level, and as a senior staff officer.  He most recently served as a governor-appointed administrator with the California Department of Veterans Affairs and in federal employee and executive roles with the US Department of Veterans Affairs.  

Col. (CA) Bond joins The CA Military Department Inspector General office with Master Sgt. (CA) Melissa Matthews, a tenured IG noncommissioned officer in charge, who previously served as a federal assistant IG and now in a state capacity for a combined 34 years, to include four years as a federal IG and 11 years as a state IG. Her favorite part of serving in the CMDIG is, “…serving, communicating, teaching, training and assisting others, but most importantly listening and taking care of people makes this assignment rewarding.”  

The Inspector General’s office focuses on serving as an honest broker and impartial fact-finder. This office allows both uniformed personnel and civilian employees to voice their concerns and request assistance relating to the following: State Active Duty;  Emergency SAD; Youth and Community Programs; the California State Guard; California State Civil Service; and state retiree issues.  The Inspector General is sufficiently independent so that those requesting assistance can do so with the confidence that matters presented to the IG office will remain as confidential as possible. 

Col. Bond said, “I welcome this opportunity to continue to pursue my passion for public service to my state and nation. With numerous years in public service at the local, county, state and federal levels, my new role provides me an opportunity to strategically leverage the Governor and the Adjutant General’s vision for accessibility, availability, and accountability.” 

“My commitment is to provide services throughout the state with a primary emphasis on training, assisting, inspecting and teaching. To those of us here at the CMDIG, independence, transparency, integrity, and oversight are much more than buzzwords. They are reality.” 

Anyone with information pertaining to the California Military Department processes may call the Inspector General HOTLINE at 1 (888) 645-0411 or email: state.ig@cmd.ca.gov. For additional information, please reference the CMDIG website at https://calguard.ca.gov/cmd_ig/