Unit Compliance is everyone's responsibility

  • Published
  • By Maj. Tim Voss
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing/Unit Compliance Inspection
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  During the week of March 3 through 11, Team Travis will host more than 130 inspectors for two simultaneous major inspections: The Unit Compliance Inspection administered by Air Mobility Command Inspector General's office and the Logistics Standardization and Evaluation Program administered by Air Mobility Command Logistics Directorate. These follow on the heels of the recent Aircrew Standardization and Evaluation Visit.

The UCI is a straightforward paperwork inspection that will assess our wing's adherence with by-law requirements, executive orders, DOD directives, Air Force and MAJCOM instructions.

The IG has provided us a "take-home test" in the form of checklists maintained on the Air Force Portal. Checklist compliance is important because failure to comply can result in adverse mission impact, legal liabilities or injury.

The inspection will encompass three main categories of checklists: 23 mission area checklists, eight by-law compliance areas and two special interest items.

The checklists are primarily directed toward specific functional areas, however there are several instances where UCI checklists must be run and adhered to by every unit. For example, several of the by-law compliance area checklists require unit-level compliance. 

The IG inspectors will assess Travis checklist compliance over the course of a week. The goal is to be 100 percent in compliance before the inspectors arrive. Compliance involves a lot more than checking the "in compliance" box on the checklist. Every unit and functional area must be prepared to provide documentation that proves compliance to the inspectors. If you're not sure whether you are in compliance, ask your unit or group UCI point of contact for assistance.

"Every unit, every Airman which includes our civilian work force, has a responsibility to know where they fit in the compliance process," said Col. G.I. Tuck, 60th Air Mobility Wing vice commander. "You are critical to our readiness and our success hinges on how we perform our mobility mission."

Team Travis has been diligently working many of these processes over the last few months and is close to ensuring compliance in all areas. In the home stretch, you can help ensure the inspection is top notch by asking for the checklist applicable to your duty section from your unit UCI POC and having answers that demonstrate how your section is compliant-ready for the inspectors.

If there is an area that is not in compliance, a plan to correct the deficiency and a target compliance date must be established. The inspectors are command-level professionals who know their respective career fields; so it is essential that each unit and functional area fine tunes their checklist answers over the next month in order to meet this challenge.

Another major component of the UCI is an Emergency Management Exercise. This exercise is conducted so the IG can assess our situational awareness and ensure the use of operational risk management as we respond to a terrorist weapon of mass destruction event. The base command and control and wing and unit-level emergency response capabilities will be tested during the exercise. Solid teamwork and efficient communication will be critical to our success. As a member of Team Travis, it is important to understand what to do in case of a Shelter-In-Place alert. Everyone should know where their nearest SIP area is and how to implement SIP procedures.

The 60th Air Mobility Wing UCI Office can answer any questions you may have. Call 424-7404 or 424-8111 for more information. It's a challenging task, but well within the capabilities of the talented men and women of Travis . Let's show the inspectors that the Travis Team deserves nothing less than an "Outstanding" rating.