Are you ready for inspection?

  • Published
  • By Col. James Jinnette
  • 47th Flying Training Wing vice commander
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Imagine that an Air Education and Training Command Inspector General Compliance Inspection team member has just walked into your workplace and is asking to see your program -- right now.

Are you ready? Are you prepared to showcase your work to this meticulous inspector? Are your workspace and personal appearance tight? Is your program solid, and can you confidently look your visitor in the eye, knowing that you are in full compliance with all Air Force instructions and regulations because you have personally done everything within your control to set the standard right here at Laughlin?

For many in our wing, the answers to all these questions would be a resounding yes. We have teammates in the 47th Flying Training Wing who consistently set the Air Force standard every day. Others on our team, however, may have significant work ahead to prepare for this scenario. The question is which category applies to you? Are you one of those who could stand ready for our inspection today or are you a person who needs to invest much time and effort into your program to make it one you would be proud to show the IG?

Many of our activities require constant vigilance to sustain their excellence. Some regulations have new updates with which we must comply. Some shops in our wing have been manned by rotating personnel since the last inspection while others have been undermanned. We respond weekly, as the rest of the Air Force does, to a steady stream of deployments and taskings. So we have a choice to make, will we choose to view these constraints as excuses or as opportunities to Team XL?

The answer is clear. We are professional, disciplined Airmen and we will face this inspection with the same kind of creative energy and innovation that makes our service the greatest Air Force in the world, and we will exceed expectations.

Laughlin is a proud team, and our game day is only months away. In addition to the compliance inspectors, our wing also will greet maintenance and logistics compliance assessment program and medical HSI inspectors in September. It's time right now to look in the mirror and take personal responsibility for these inspections. Let's tighten down together now to make sure that when our time comes in the spotlight, each of us will stand proudly in front of our inspectors and teammates knowing we all pulled our own weight plus a little bit more. When we make this commitment to supercharge our preparations with individual ownership, we will set the conditions together to make our upcoming visit the best showing our IG sees all year.

I ask that you take personal responsibility today for Team XL's upcoming inspection.
Our standard is excellence. Excellence is expected.