154th, 15th Wing exercise together under new inspection program

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- A total force integration team comprised of the Hawaii Air National Guard's 154th  and the active duty's 15th  Maintenance and Operations Groups completed an inspection exercise under the recently implemented Commander's Inspection Program here Nov. 6-8. 

The CCIP is part of the Air Force's revamped Air Force Inspections System. The program shifts the responsibility of management and execution of inspections to wing commanders and lessens the reliance on periodical external inspections.

"CCIP is only one component of the new Air Force Inspection System, but it is the most critical component of the entire system" said Lt. Gen. Stephen P. Mueller, Inspector General of the Air Force. "A trusted and verified CCIP is the foundation of the AFIS. With an effective CCIP, wing commanders can be assured that their self-assessment programs are reporting accurately while the independent assessment portion of the CCIP ensures the effectiveness of subordinate organizations."

Past evaluations relied heavily on readiness and compliance inspections and required a reliance on outside inspectors. With the revamped inspection program, Airmen can expect more short-notice reviews. The 154th Wing inspector general, Maj. James Lowe says the emphasis on evaluations changes from passing inspections to a focus on daily mission readiness and paints a more accurate picture of a unit's ability to complete missions.

"Gone are the days of painting the grass green. Inspections will become more routine and less intrusive," said Lowe. "AFIS examines the core mission sets that our Airmen execute every day, from caring for patients, repairing aircraft, to managing supply parts.  By examining these core sets, the CCIP will provide commanders an accurate assessment of what it is that they do every day"

"The CCIP, as the name implies, enforces commander's responsibility of placing the limited amount resources they have against the ever increasing demand of tasks. Commanders are the ones to manage the risk of balancing resources against requirements and under CCIP, they are evaluated that way."

The changes come as a result of the Air Force understanding that the past inspection construct didn't paint an accurate picture of a unit's capabilities to complete its mission. A better way was needed to better align evaluations with mission readiness.

"The unintended consequences of the system we've grown up with includes thousands of man-years wasted on inspection readiness that contributed little to mission readiness; unconstrained and unprioritized requirements generated by the staff; an unspoken, but clearly heard, message that how we look when the IG is looking is more important than who we really are every day; and an unhealthy imbalance between command and functional authority" said Mueller. "The new Air Force Inspection System is designed to address each of these issues"

The TFI inspection was centered on operating in a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives environment and was the first time a CBRNE exercise had been conducted here since the new CCIP was implemented.