'Eliminate Inspection Prep; Institute Readiness' Published Feb. 25, 2015 By Brig. Gen. Nina Armagno Commander, 45th Space Wing PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla -- As many of you are well aware, every 18 - 24 months or so, Air Force Space Command schedules on-site visits, followed by a Unit Effectiveness Inspection (UEI) Capstone Inspection. This is an opportunity for AFSPC to visit our Wing and provide an independent, transparent assessment of readiness, efficiency and discipline -- as well as to validate and verify the Wing Commander's Inspection Program (CCIP). For "Team-Patrick" Cape, those on-site visits begin this week and the UEI is currently scheduled for later this year. This is exactly what I want you to do to prepare for that upcoming UEI: Focus on the mission at hand! Here at the 45th Space Wing, we understand the importance of inspections, and we will continually work to improve the Air Force Inspection System so there is an ever-shrinking difference -- both real and perceived - between mission readiness and inspection readiness. Inspections and evaluations verify readiness and are accomplished via Wing horizontal or vertical inspections. Horizontal Inspections are cross-functional exercises that involve multiple agencies. Examples include HURCON or active shooter exercises. Vertical Inspections involve a specific squadron, organization, or mission area and may include both an on-site compliance review by the Wing IG office and a performance evaluation, such as a next-of-kin notification or a fire drill. But make no mistake about it: 100% mission success, rooted in compliance, operational rigor and SAFETY is this Wing's top priority. Always has been. Always will! In other words -- the more things change --the more they stay the same around here. Team, UEIs are no longer snapshots, but by using continual compliance oversight we can prepare for what's down-the-road while staying focused on what's just-around-the-corner (like four scheduled launches in less than a month). And we can't afford to take our eye off the ball, even for a second. Here's the bottom line from where I sit. Gone are the days of ignoring the important questions / concerns and allowing inspection readiness to take away from mission accomplishment preparations. What we're going to do here is simple: "Eliminate Inspection Prep and Institute Readiness!" We have a very busy month staring us right in the face. So "Stay Focused Sharks!"