Nuclear surety inspection draws closer

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. George Parrott
  • 498th Munitions Maintenance Group
The key to passing a nuclear surety inspection is preparation. Inherent in that preparation are three essential ingredients: leadership, teamwork and training.

Nuclear capable units that have done well on their inspections began by planning well in advance. Those units emphasized nuclear surety on a daily basis and developed comprehensive countdown checklists with milestones, such as 180, 90, 60 and 30-Day, covering important areas of the inspection.

They also conducted realistic practice inspections on themselves with quality assurance, unit inspector general and base exercise evaluation team personnel filling the role of major command inspectors. Those locallevel inspections were brutal, guided by the philosophy that being tough on themselves was the best way to prepare for a stringent, compliance-oriented NSI.

Teamwork was the natural outgrowth of that level of emphasis. This was especially noteworthy at installations where multiple units aligned either under different commands or under organizations worked together with a team focus to produce spectacular results.

To help fine tune preparations for the NSI, below is a list of recommendations honed from conducting and participating in NSIs. Although not all-inclusive, they contain areas your unit should focus on as well as some guidelines to help you do well.

Review the basic regulations
- Know AFI 90-201 and your MAJCOM's supplements. Also, understand how a nuclear surety inspection is conducted.
- Review and know applicable weapons system safety rules.
- Know the nuclear surety regulations specific to your combatant command.
- Stay on top of your weapons, equipment and procedural technical orders and regulations.
- Take the time to read formal MAJCOM inspector general cross-feed reports.
- Review the current and back issues of the AF Weapons Journal.
- Engage in your own informal cross-feed sessions by talking to friends whose units have undergone NSIs.

Plan early
Carefully pick the members of your primary and back-up teams. Beware of developing an "A Team" syndrome, where all of your best people are grouped together on a particular shift or team. Experience has shown that successful units spread the wealth so that there are no "B Teams."
- training records
- drivers' licenses
- make sure that you have all of the proper safety equipment, including fire extinguishers, lanyards and hoist placards at your storage locations. Make sure this equipment is in proper working order

Balance your preparation efforts
Focus your initial efforts on the critical pass/fail areas. Remember that some areas could affect the pass/fail criteria. For example, Personal Reliability Program issues could affect the outcome of an NSI -- thus the role of the medical and mission support folks is critical -- remember nuclear surety is a team effort. Take a close look at your:
- management
- command and control
- access
- technical operations
- transfer and transport
- tools, test and handling equipment
- stockpile and storage practices, including explosive and active material limits
- storage and maintenance facilities, including aircraft hot cargo pads
- contingency plans, including destruct, fire response, and recapture/recovery
- logistics movement and support
- unit nuclear surety program
- weapons custody transfer

Practice, practice, practice
This is the most important element of success. Train as you would fight -- avoiding simulations or deviations as much as possible.

Start at the section level first. Focus on technique and theory and do chalk talks/table top discussions for your operations. Get your QA personnel involved by using them to evaluate your progress and training. Be tough on yourself -- allow no excuses.

Be ready at "show time"
- Make a good first impression.
- Conduct pre-task reviews and post-task critiques.
- Know your waivers and where you are allowed to do simulations.
- Display a sense of urgency and a positive attitude.
- If you're not sure of the answer to an evaluator's question, get into the books and find the answer.
- Correct problems on the spot.

It takes a team effort to complete a nuclear surety inspection in a successful manner. We're all familiar with professional football and how each team's goal is to make it to the Super Bowl. You'll find those teams use the same concepts described above: leadership, teamwork and training. Practicing constantly and making midseason changes as needed, coaches and players watch other teams to learn from their successes and mistakes. Playing a key leadership role, coaches, team owners and general managers ensure their players have the resources they need. In the end, if the leaders and the players have put it all together successfully, the team will make it to playoffs and to the Super Bowl.

The NSI is your Super Bowl -- your chance to prove you're the best at what you do.