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For three weeks – one week in March and two weeks in August – inspectors pored through every aspect of the 38th Combat Support Wing, a wing of more than 2,500 military and civilian personnel in 31 geographically separated units throughout the U.S. Air Forces in Europe theater.
And during its inaugural Unit Compliance Inspection, the men and women of the 38th CSW shined, earning an overall “Excellent” rating.
Unit Compliance Inspections assess the health of a unit. During the UCI, inspectors are looking at compliance with Air Force Instructions and ensuring mission readiness. For the 38th CSW, there were more than 30,000 checklist items.
“I was nearly speechless at the out-brief and overwhelmed with appreciation of the daily efforts by the men and women of the 38th CSW,” said Col. Earl Matthews, 38th CSW commander.
With the wing being only two years old, the men and women of the 38th CSW had to move like lightning to prepare for their first UCI. The first part of the inspection began in March with the 712th Air Base Group in Spain and 428th Air Base Group in Stuttgart having only three months to prepare. The 569th U.S. Forces Police Squadron at Vogelweh planned and coordinated several exercises to meet the Air Force Instruction requirements for the UCI. And, for the 38th Construction and Training Squadron at Ramstein, which has existed for more than 50 years, the UCI was all new. They had never before been inspected in this format.
“This definitely was the first of its kind for USAFE,” said Master Sgt. Grace Fleenor, 38th CSW Inspector General Superintendent.
The 38th CSW stood up in May 2004, was recognized in 2005, and is one of the most diverse wings in USAFE. With its real property holdings, the CSW is the largest physical organization in USAFE.
The UCI meant a busy few months for the Munitions Squadron sites, in four different locations, which already are constantly inspected due to their mission, Sergeant Fleenor said. Their preparation for the UCI was on top of preparing for Nuclear Staff Assistance Visits and Nuclear Surety Inspections, she said.
“They seem to always be under the scrutiny of an inspection team,” Sergeant Fleenor said. “They had to concentrate on UCI requirements in addition to missionrelated requirements.”
Their work and attention to detail paid off as the 38th Munitions Maintenance Group, comprised of all four MUNSS, earned an “Excellent” rating.
“Our main focus was to ensure that the USAFE Inspector General Team knew and understood the unique and diverse makeup of our wing,” said Col. JL Briggs, 38th CSW vice commander. “This ‘Excellent’ result validates the cutting edge reachback concept of wing level command and control pioneered by the 38th CSW.
“Our focus on safety, readiness, training and personnel is successfully blended into a wing with a diverse mission but common goals.”
The 38th CSW includes four groups and 15 squadrons. Among the many operations, the 38th CSW also provides leadership for NATO air base squadrons in Norway and Germany and coordinates the theater-wide mail system run by the 2nd Air Postal Squadron at Ramstein. They operate a contracting squadron, supporting the missions of all military units in the KMC. They are responsible for mobility operations from Moron Air Base in Spain and a munitions maintenance squadron in Italy. They maintain and secure weapons for rapid deployment from four different countries in central Europe. And, they train and certify civil engineers.
“I think we did a great job in showing our talents and commitment to the Air Force mission throughout the wing,” Sergeant Fleenor said. “We knocked the IG Team off their feet.”
Lt. Col. Bonnie Adkins, 38th CSW Inspector General, said the 38th CSW team worked hard on their checklists. “We learned that once a group of dedicated folks put their minds to reach a great achievement, it can be done.”
