CUI prep: Are you ready?

Published June 5, 2013
By Staff Sgt. J. Aaron Breeden
21st Space Wing Public Affairs

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The 21st Space Wing is set to welcome the Air Force Space Command Inspector General team for its Consolidated Unit Inspection June 10.

Unlike previous inspections in the 21st SW, this CUI process will be much shorter, 10 days to be exact, June 10-19. This shorter inspection, however, is no reason to be lax in preparations.

According to Lt. Col. Pat Long, 21st SW inspection preparation team coordinator, many of the preparations for this year's CUI are to help clarify compliance processes for years to come.

"Our overall process has been looking into the long term to make compliance for the Wing very clear," said Long. "That's always one of the challenges; it's never quite clear to units what all of their requirements are."

Long added that while inspections can be stressful, one important thing to keep in mind is to show that you are motivated and to demonstrate ownership of your program.

"Don't be afraid to make spot corrections," said Long. "If (the inspectors) say something is wrong and you can fix it, fix it, whether it's in that moment or an hour or a day later."

Long also reminded Airmen to be honest and open with the inspectors - let your program shine.

"Show ownership in the program," said Long. "Don't be afraid to say, 'here's how I demonstrate ownership, here's the challenges that I have and here's what I'm doing to fix them.'"

Lt. Col. Jeff Van Sanford, 21st SW inspector general, emphasized some of the goals that the 21st Space Wing has been working toward for the past two years with regards to inspection preparations.

"We've done a requirement assessment across the wing allowing decision makers to apply risk in areas across all of the programs that we're managing," said Van Sanford. "This helps to decide which programs we're going to spend our efforts and time based on our limited manpower and capacity and resources."

Van Sanford added that while inspections have become more collaborative over the years, we should not get caught up in the heat of the moment.

"Don't argue with the inspector; you can discuss but don't argue," said Van Sanford. "The inspectors are not out to get you, they are here simply to make sure you are compliant."

For those wondering about impacts to base activities, it should be noted that emergency response exercises could occur as part of the inspection.

These exercises may cause short delays at all Peterson AFB and Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station gates. Also, there may be some traffic disruptions and temporary delays in services in the areas where exercise scenarios are taking place.

We ask our mission partners and community members for their patience. These exercises provide vital evaluations of our Peterson AFB emergency plans and ensure emergency response forces are able to effectively manage unplanned crisis events.