WASHINGTON, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Defense Department announced Monday that Claude M. Kicklighter has been sworn in as the department's inspector general replacing Thomas F. Gimble who has been acting inspector general since Sept. 10, 2005.

    Kicklighter would report directly to the defense secretary on matters relating to fraud, waste and abuse in the programs and operations of the department, the Pentagon said in a statement.

    Kicklighter would also act as the department's representative on the president's Council on Integrity and Efficiency and chair the Defense Council on Integrity and Efficiency.

    Previously, Kicklighter directed the Iraq/Afghanistan Joint Transition Planning Group, a joint team of the Defense Department and the State Department that has provided analysis and recommendations for coordinating efforts to address transition challenges in Iraq and Afghanistan, the statement said.

    Kicklighter retired from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant general in 1991 after serving 35 years in the military, and has since held a number of senior positions in the departments of Defense, State, and Veterans Affairs.