The new UEI: Increased effectiveness

by Staff Sgt. Jessica Haas
8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

3/17/2014 - KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- The Pacific Air Forces Inspector General team, and the Air Force Inspector General, populated Kunsan Air Base to conduct the highly anticipated, Unit Effectiveness Inspection capstone event during the week of Mar. 3 - 7, 2014.

"We are the commander's eyes and ears," said Lt. Gen. Stephen Mueller, Inspector General of the Air Force. "My job is to report on the discipline, effectiveness, efficiency and the readiness of the Air Force. It is a big task and we accomplish it through inspections."

Inspections are necessary and conducted at every Air Force base; but the inspections conducted now are different. This new 'breed' of inspections is the result of a completely different method of inspecting units in an effort to ensure honest feedback and to allow senior leadership to make data-driven decisions.

"Everything you knew about the inspection system, throw it out of the window," said the inspector general. "It's not at all like the way you grew up in the Air Force. That's one of the big challenges that we have."

The general said the system focuses on trusting Airmen to tell the truth about the problems that they have.

"This is radically different from the way we used to do things," continued Mueller. "During the old inspection system, Airmen were out there trying to dazzle the IG so they wouldn't find the problems that they knew they had. Now we encourage everyone to tell us what their problems are, and we have a better and more honest appreciation for the issues that are facing the Air Force."

The general said the new system focuses on the Airmen performing their mission and not focusing so much on preparing for an inspection.

"So in theory, there would be zero preparation for inspections," said the IG. "All the work can now be put back into the mission."

Mueller then stressed three main tasks he wanted Airmen to focus on for future UEIs.

"First, I want Airmen to know their job," started the general. "Second, I want them to do their job. And third, I want them to tell us when they can't do their job. That's it."

The general also highlighted many of the reasons why this new way of inspecting is so much more beneficial than the older system.

"Also, the template we have is standard across the Air Force," continued the general. "So instead of having ten different MAJCOM types of inspections that you couldn't correlate, we can now correlate the data across the Air Force, and get really good, solid identification of where our problems lie."

The general concluded by saying this new system empowers the wing commander to conduct their own inspections.

"At base-level, we have to create that capability to inspect ourselves," he said. "Each of the wing commanders is learning from this as they build it, and we collectively at the Air Force level are then able to learn what the best practices are."

The Wolf Pack Airmen were the first in PACAF to go through this revised system, earning an overall effective and a highly effective in mission execution.

"I'm proud of our Wolf Pack, and I'm proud of what we have accomplished so far," said Col. S. Clinton Hinote, 8th Fighter Wing commander. "The new system is more honest, and that has made us better. Our best, however, is yet to come."