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| News > Commentary - So Why All This Extra Work? A Treatise on Inspection Preparation |
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Lt. Col. Jasin Cooley, 50th Security Forces Squadron commander
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So Why All This Extra Work? A Treatise on Inspection Preparation
Posted 10/22/2012 Updated 10/22/2012
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Commentary by Lt. Col. Jasin Cooley
50th Security Forces Squadron commander
10/22/2012 - SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo -- There can be no doubt in anyone's mind that the Consolidated Unit Inspection is bearing down; most members of the 50th Space Wing are putting in extra time, examining their areas of responsibility and fixing long-forgotten problems. Now that Nov. 28 has been named as "The Big Day," the sense of urgency has certainly befallen us. But what is the purpose of all this extra time? One can argue that if the space wing was accomplishing its mission just fine before inspection preparation began, then we should continue to do so without all this extra work. To be sure, the units of this wing operate in concert every day to command satellites to deliver decisive global effects. American and allied combatants can count on Schriever's "product" being delivered with unquestioned reliability, anywhere in the world. However, we all know there are tasks we let fall by the wayside; we also know that personnel change over relatively quickly. Whether we like it or not, these inspections are a necessary chore and serve four key functions.
First, as public employees, we have an obligation to the taxpayers; we are stewards of their money. "Excellence in all we do" is not a nebulous, philosophical mantra or just a catchphrase; those footing the bill for our enterprises have every right to expect us to execute our duties to the best of our abilities--in legal, ethical and fiscal terms. In a bureaucratic organization as large as the Air Force, it is easy to be sloppy and wasteful. The Air Force has many projects and operations with immense budgets, so large that rounding the budget figures to manageable numbers erases sums larger than most salaries ("budget dust," as Chief Master Sgt. Patrick McMahon, 50 SW command chief, likes to say). Thus, it is easy to rationalize a little waste here and a little slop there in resource management are meaningless. This attitude is a slap in the face of the taxpayer. All of that waste and slop will add up, on the one hand, reducing our combat effectiveness, and on the other taking money unnecessarily from the pocket of our fellow citizens.
Second, and more pragmatically, inspections allow us to balance the priorities of some of our duties. It is a natural function of human nature to categorize by priority. My first supervisor used the very simple, very useful categorization: Handle first what will get people killed, next what will get you fired, and next what will get you yelled at. Unfortunately, inattention to those tasks that will only get us yelled at does matter; readiness declines when we ignore those tasks that may seem either irrelevant or unlikely, such as that much-maligned fire extinguisher training. Holistic inspections, such as CUI, provide the impetus for us to air all of our musty closets and make sure we are as ready as possible.
Third, inspections ensure that we are training our replacements. Air Force training is of course not only focused on competence in current tasks; it assumes that every Airman is upwardly mobile, both willing and able to assume more responsibility. This, in turn, forces supervisors to be better versed in their current responsibilities since they train and test their subordinates on those relevant tasks; we all should be training our subordinates to replace us. Although potentially ego-bruising or even career-damaging, inspections can shed a harsh light on our training and individual competence failings. Relating to my first point as "steward of the taxpayer's money," we must ensure that our failings are both found and highlighted so that they can be fixed or so that people who cannot get the job done are identified.
Finally, inspections ensure we address perhaps that most important, worst-case scenario: Although we are indeed a nation at war, we cannot forget that strategic threats to America could become much more grave. CUI and the like ensure we have the ability to "ramp up" to that worst case. They force us to operate under increasingly intense conditions to be more prepared and confident should American institutions face an existential risk. Consider the "crucible" metaphor, in which stress causes us to be stronger and know more about ourselves. Just as lifting weights strengthens our muscles, the "heavy-lifting" required during inspection preparation strengthens our capability.
Although I look forward to the end of the upcoming CUI, I also welcome the challenge it brings. I know the 50th Security Forces Squadron will be stronger, more cohesive and more capable afterwards, just as will the 50th Space Wing. Moreover, I know that the challenge of inspection preparation ensures that we are an efficient, accountable public institution of the American state. |
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