HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – In July Air Force Materiel Command inspectors will be arriving to evaluate the 66th Air Base Group’s ability to perform its mission with a Unit Effectiveness Inspection, or UEI.
Additionally, the inspection team will assess the Battle Management and Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence and Networks Directorates and 46th Test Squadron, Detachment 1 with a Continual Evaluation.
The inspections, scheduled July 17 to 24, include the capstone event culminating a two-year inspection cycle for the 66 ABG.
According to Lt. Col. Kenneth E. Mierz, Hanscom inspector general, the UEI measures how well each of the organizations execute their mission, manage resources, lead people and improve the unit.
"Our inspection focus aligns with the commander's priorities and four major graded areas that we will be inspected on," Mierz said. "The UEI is our chance to showcase the exceptional work we do at Hanscom, as well as to emphasize our innovative processes."
Past inspections involved major readiness exercises called ORIs and compliance inspections called UCIs. These inspections were singular events to test Hanscom’s readiness or inspect compliance with Air Force and other policies. UEI inspections differ from the singular events of the past.
Inspections now culminate a two-year continuous virtual inspection where the installation’s overall grade is based on performance throughout the inspection period. The on-site portion will mainly focus on the unit’s own inspection processes and its ability to identify non-compliance and resolve those deficiencies, not just on whether a unit is compliant.
There are various parts to a UEI. First is a virtual evaluation of artifacts supplied by the units, which for Hanscom has already begun. Inspectors from higher headquarters review these artifacts along with information entered into the Management Internal Control Toolset, or MICT, from responses to checklists or communicators. The artifacts, along with any necessary corrective and preventive action plans, backup the responses.
While at Hanscom, the inspection team will visit specific organization to meet with personnel directly about various programs and capabilities.
Having many functional experts from AFMC visiting Hanscom AFB has its benefits.
“The inspection next month allows each of us at Hanscom the opportunity to highlight the great things we do here to the command’s inspectors,” said Col. Roman L. Hund, installation commander. “Each of us is playing a crucial role in helping the Air Force accomplish vital missions, and this is our opportunity to tell that story.”
Although it is important to know where your organization's potential weaknesses are and what you are doing to correct them, it is also important to share all the innovative things that we do here to support the warfighter, according to Mierz.
“This is your chance to brag a little and highlight your work,” he said.
Hund echoed those sentiments.
"Each of you has earned the right to be proud of what you do, how you do it and who you do it with and for," he said. "When inspectors ask, let them know how proud you are and tell them why."