Inspection team arrives at Ellsworth

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rebecca Imwalle
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Members of the Air Combat Command Inspector General team began arriving on base to conduct a weeklong Unit Effectiveness Inspection, April 14 to 18.

The IG team - consisting of subject matter experts from a wide range of specialties - will evaluate a number of base activities and operations to ensure the wing is complying with established standards and prepared to accomplish its mission at home and abroad.

Col. Kevin Kennedy, 28th Bomb Wing commander, welcomed the team during a briefing April 13 at the Deployment Center, and stressed the importance of the inspection to base personnel.

"This will help ensure we are operating as efficiently and effectively as possible," Kennedy said. "It is crucial that we optimize all of our efforts. The feedback and guidance we will receive will not only help validate what we are doing correctly, but allow us to improve in any areas where we can do better."

Following Kennedy's remarks, Col. Rickey Rodgers, Air Combat Command Inspector General team chief, thanked the base for the warm welcome and then rolled into the intent of the inspection and how it will be done.

"Our goal is to educate, motivate and independently evaluate," Rodgers said, adding that if Ellsworth is mission ready, it should be inspection ready as well.

"Some of the changes to the new inspection process - in reality a third party look at all of your processes - are the largest I've seen in my career," Rodgers said. "It is designed to reduce the footprint of past inspections, and provide base commanders with more flexibility to manage their base programs."

One key component of the new inspection process includes getting feedback straight from the source -- confidential interviews with Airmen and family members from across the wing. The interviews, called Airmen-to-IG sessions, are intended to garner unbiased opinions and feedback that may be hard to obtain under other programs or formats.

The UEI is slated to end April 18, at which point inspectors will compile information, complete a report and provide feedback to base leaders.