Tanker Airlift Control Center leads the way for air operations centers under new inspection system

Published April 7, 2014
By Senior Master Sgt. Angie Sarchet
Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- The Air Mobility Command Inspector General team recently closed out the 618th Air and Space Operation Center's (Tanker Airlift Control Center) first Unit Effectiveness Inspection cycle with a Major Command Capstone event, marking the first air operations center inspected under the new system.

The leader of Air Mobility Command's Air and Space Operations Center praised the Air Force's new inspection system because it places review authority in the hands of commanders.

Maj. Gen. Timothy M. Zadalis, commander of the TACC at Scott Air Force Base, Il, said the inspection system empowers wing commanders to establish and lead continuous self-inspections, alleviating the constant cycle of preparing for multiple inspections throughout the year.

"As a commander, I appreciate having authority over my inspection program, and that we're now inspected on the work we do here daily so our people can focus on taking care of the mission," Zadalis said.

The timing of the unit's UEI didn't happen by chance. The AMC IG staff purposely planned the fiscal year 2014 inspection calendar with the intent to sample the full range of AMC mission sets, according to Col. Christopher Sullivan, AMC IG team chief for the AOC inspection.

"AMC is a complex organization and the AOC is a testament to that. We're more than a series of stand-alone bases, with a single mission" Sullivan said. "AMC is integrated in joint basing and within the Total Force. This serves as a force multiplier but also comes with complex relationships. We have to move out and work through challenges to implement and improve what we believe is a better inspection system."

Sullivan explained that the Capstone isn't the first AMC IG inspection working with the AOC; they partnered on a separate nuclear inspection earlier this year and he said both teams learned, grew and became more capable after the inspection.

"The new system is in many respects a partnership between the unit and the IG, all with the goal of making the 618th AOC a more effective organization," said Zadalis, who is impressed by his wing inspection team's progress and the work they accomplished throughout the unit. "Any change comes with some level of discomfort and this was no different, but it's change for the better and worth the front-end effort," the general said.

AMC IG began planning nearly a year ago on an implementation plan for the revised AFIS. Throughout the scheduled inspections, inspection team members speak with Airmen at each unit to gain valuable insight on what's right with it, what's wrong with it, and what needs to be improved or reconsidered, Sullivan said. Their feedback informs the AMC commander about unit effectiveness, and is ultimately sent to the Secretary of the Air Force Inspector General.