Preparing for the Unit Compliance Inspection

  • Published
  • By Maj. Jeff Grimes
  • 19th Airlift Wing Plans and Programs chief
LITTLE ROCK AFB, Ark. --  (Editor's Note - This is the first in a series of articles of information about upcoming exercises and inspections on Little Rock Air Force Base.)

A unit compliance inspection is one of the single most significant inspections a base can receive. According to Air Mobility Command Instruction 90-201, The Inspection System, UCIs are conducted to assess areas mandated by law as well as mission areas identified by senior Air Force and major command leaders as critical or important to assess or assure the health and performance of organizations.

The 19th Airlift Wing will receive its UCI on April 19, where over nine days, 85 AMC inspectors from Scott AFB, Ill., will evaluate and inspect all groups and units on their day-to-day compliance with executive orders, Department of Defense directives, Air Force and major command instructions. Inspectors will check for compliance with Air Force instructions, AMC instructions, local supplements and operating instructions as well as by-law programs such as the Voting Assistance Program and Sexual Harassment Education and Prevention.

What should 19th Airlift Wing Airmen do to prepare? First, Airmen have to clearly define requirements through regulations and ask this simple question: Does it comply? Being honest in a unit's self assessment is key and commanders have to be directly involved.

Second, Airmen will measure success through self inspection and UCI checklists. Guess what? Airmen have already started. The 19 AW already has a tool currently being utilized each semi-annual period to prepare groups and squadrons for an inspection of this magnitude: the Self Inspection Program. Group and squadron UCI representatives are currently knee deep in this self-inspection process. Everything contained within these SIP checklists will cover what the AMC inspectors are looking for. Air Force specialty code functional managers ensured this by forwarding their most current SIP checklists to the AMC inspector team and posting them on the AMC inspector website. 19 AW inspections section has validated and disseminated each of these checklists to group and unit level UCI representatives and each checklist is area specific. Unit SIP program managers should be educating Airmen on SIP and how to fill out the SIP checklists.

Third, Airmen will analyze their procedures and processes through exercises and staff assistance visits. Currently, 19 AW inspections section has a five-day SAV scheduled from Feb. 8 to 12. Officials will be utilizing experts from the 19 AW, 314th Airlift Wing, 189th Airlift Wing and 153rd Airlift Wing from Cheyenne, Wyo. These experts will inspect all applicable UCI areas, using the actual AMC inspector checklists providing everyone the opportunity to practice "hosting an inspector," which is an article that will appear later in this series.

Finally, Airmen will control their processes by making them mistake-proof, consistent and reliable. Airmen have to learn from previous UCI write-ups, SAV write-ups and exercise feedback and then begin the process again by returning to the original question: Does it comply?

Bottom line: Attitude is everything! Air Force members are already "can do" people. They overcome adversity every day and succeed where others would easily fail. So what can Airmen do right now? Ask tough questions about themselves and their programs such as: What would an inspector say if they came right now? What do I already know I need to fix but haven't done so? What can I do to make my program stronger? Who do I need to team-up with in order to resolve this problem?

April will be a whirlwind and the time leading up to it will be marked with long hours, exhaustive repetitions of preparations, and a lot of management oversight. Through a positive attitude, team work, clear communication and direct involvement, Team Little Rock can show the AMC inspectors what base leaders already know: that the 19 AW is the best airlift wing in AMC!

Combat Airlift!