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Effectiveness inspection begins for Fairchild's classic-association wings

Published Feb. 5, 2014
92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE Wash., -- Fairchild Air Force Base's Unit Effectiveness Inspection capstone visit began Wednesday as the first inspection of a KC-135 Total Force Integration organization under the new Air Force Inspection System.

About 90 members from the Air Mobility Command Inspector General's inspection team, consisting of functional experts from various career field backgrounds, will inspect and validate the effectiveness of programs and self-assessment processes within the classic-association between the 92nd and 141st Air Refueling Wings.

"The UEI capstone will validate the Fairchild's Total Force culture of compliance," said Col. Brian Newberry, 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander. "This inspection signifies our transition from a system of being 'evaluated' for compliance to a system of 'demonstrating' that we can measure our own compliance and mission effectiveness."

The capstone visit provides higher headquarters an external evaluation of wing performance based on four major graded areas: 1) Leading People; 2) Executing the Mission; 3) Managing Resources; and 4) Improving the Unit.

"In our usual association fashion, we immediately seized the opportunity to capitalize on the strengths of both wings and created a combined IG office," said Col. Daniel Swain, 141st ARW commander. "The 92nd and 141st IG teams have been in constant communication with both AMC and Air National Guard IG to make sure we are in line with the expectations under this new UEI concept. Our success is always in the partnership between both wings."

Unlike previous inspection processes, the UEI includes confidential interviews with some wing-level Airmen and family members called "Airmen-to-IG sessions" explained Col. Brian Hill, 92nd ARW vice commander.

"The interviews will help identify the needs and challenges of Airmen and their families in order to measure the command's overall effectiveness," said Hill. "The visit as a whole will provide MAJCOM and Air Force-level leadership an accurate evaluation of Fairchild's total-force compliance and effectiveness."

The UEI, which was officially launched Air Force-wide in June 2013, focuses on continuous mission readiness rather than one-time inspection readiness.

The in-person visit also helps identify areas where risks from undetected non-compliance are greatest, said Lt. Col. David Parlotz, 92nd ARW IG.

Outlined in Air Force Instruction 90-201, the UEI operates on a two-year cycle that requires wing and unit commanders to continuously inspect their own programs using the Management Internal Control Toolset program.

"MICT is the tool that allows units to keep the commander informed on the compliance of their programs," said Parlotz. "MICT helps continually identify focus areas to the commander and will serve as a starting point for the AMC IG inspectors during this UEI capstone visit."

Fairchild's UEI process first began in August when base members, spouses and contractors were asked to fill out a voluntary, anonymous survey to provide the AMC IG a baseline comprehension of wing processes.

Since then, the base has stood up a Wing Inspection Team to outline and perform self-assessment processes to ensure the effectiveness of the Commander's Inspection Program, or CCIP, while continually working with the AMC IG team and functional experts to ensure continual compliance.

Fairchild is the third AMC wing to be inspected under the new process. Little Rock AFB and Joint Base Charleston conducted their capstone visits September and December, respectively.