TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- During the March drill weekend, the 349th Air Mobility Wing welcomed the Air Force Reserve Command Headquarters Inspector General team conducting a Unit Effectiveness Inspection at Travis Air Force Base, California, from March 2-7, 2023.
The UEI is an evaluation of an organization’s effectiveness and readiness, from wing level all the way to individual squadron level. The objective is to determine the wing’s overall ability to execute its mission.
The established UEI schedule outlines a unit inspection every 24 to 36 months by a headquarters level IG team and can start 18 months prior to a team’s arrival. During this time, the team conducts inspections remotely, continuously evaluating and developing corrective action plans for the units to review.
“We pass those readiness reports and data points along to the wing to tell them what we are looking at,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Joseph Janik, AFRC HQ lead inspector general. “It is an opportunity for the wing to further take a look and delve into the programs that may be challenging them.”
Janik said the IG team’s approach is to change the mindset of inspections, from fear and concern to a more collaborative process. This is key to moving towards continuous process improvement.
“Only part of us coming out here is the inspection portion,” said Janik. “We incorporate a day called ‘white hat day’, where all our subject matter experts go back out to the units so that they have the opportunity to talk through their program and we help them make it even better and more effective.”
At the UEI out-briefing, Janik informed senior leadership that the wing achieved an overall rating of “effective” according to the 349 AMW IG office. The 349 AMW awaits the final individual unit results.