Eielson preps for CI

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Janine Thibault
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Units making up the 354th Fighter Wing and the 168th Air Refueling Wing will be evaluated by the Pacific Air Forces Inspector General and his team of experts during the upcoming Compliance Inspection from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4.

CIs assess the base's conformity with laws and Air Force Instructions, as well as specific areas of the mission identified by senior Air Force and Major Command leadership as critical or important to the health and performance of a unit.

"Eielson will be inspected to ensure the health and welfare of the people and assets assigned are being managed in accordance with instructions," said Master Sgt. William Taylor, 354th Fighter Wing deputy inspector general.

During this CI, Eielson is the test base for what could be the new standard of combined inspections, the Comprehensive Unit Inspection. By combining the Logistics Compliance Assessment Team with the CI team, the Air Force is consolidating the effort and resources used to complete these inspections.

More than 100 Pacific Air Force Inspector General team members will analyze the units to determine whether the base will be given the grade of outstanding, excellent, satisfactory, marginal or unsatisfactory.

Major Command Inspector Generals will evaluate each Major Graded Area, which is driven by law, executive order, or applicable directive. Examples of Air Force-level MGAs based on law are intelligence oversight, transition assistance programs, voting assistance programs, and sexual harassment education and prevention.

Participation in the CI does not just mean going through the movements unblinkingly. This is a chance to show higher headquarters how Icemen operate and also figure out what can be improved to propel the mission to even greater heights.

Be prepared to discuss how programs work and what impact they have on the mission.
Here, the key is demonstrating how effectively the programs or processes are managed or executed.

If asked, Airmen should be able to respond with appropriate answers to an inspector's question, whether it is about Eielson's mission or a program connected to the Airman.

Although a correct answer is ideal, it is important that Airmen are honest and are willing to get an answer for the inspector if they do not know it.

This inspection is not only key in confirming the positive steps taken by units, it also provides the opportunity to solve any issues.

Proactive preparation for the CI will ensure Eielson Airmen are primed to show inspectors that they are mission-ready and capable at any time to prepare, deploy and enable.