Kirtland-based inspection agency changing AF culture

  • Published
  • By Ryan Stark
  • Nucleus writer
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The dread of an impending inspection is something the Air Force Inspection Agency's commander, Col. Richard "Tex" Coe, is trying to drive from Air Force culture. As he puts it, the old "I'm from the Inspector General and I'm here to help" line should be a genuine feeling among Airmen rather than a half-whispered joke.

Coe's approach is different.

"We expect commanders to inspect themselves, and we're there to help them improve their inspection program and find the blind spots they're not seeing," Coe said.

AFIA serves as the operational arm of the Air Force Inspector General. AFIA's range of inspections encompasses all Air Force functions, departments and missions. Subjects as diverse as aerospace medicine, education and training, force support, nuclear surety and space operations all fall within the agency's mission scope.

With the publication of the new Air Force Instruction 90-201 last year, the inspection structure of the Air Force dramatically changed. Most of the authority over unit inspections has now been delegated to wing commanders, a move which Coe feels will be vital in an era of reduced personnel.

Multiple, smaller inspections of Air Force units will take place throughout the year, as opposed to one-time, larger annual inspections. Additionally, the new regulation emphasizes that inspection is a commander's program and that a robust inspection program finds deficiencies and improves mission readiness.

Alongside the move toward a cultural change around Air Force inspections, Coe is a realist when it comes to the process.

"Problems are going to exist. We already know we have more mission than we have people and resources to do the mission," Coe said. "If somebody's reporting 'all green' and everything is good, that's probably a sign that there might be something wrong there."

Coe said the AFIA's processes are designed to avoid absolute, topdown enforcement of standards. They now facilitate interaction throughout the process.

The agency created a process where trends -- whether they be good or bad -- Airmen see at the unit level can be brought to the attention of Air Force senior leaders, including the Secretary of the Air Force and Air Force Chief of Staff when necessary.

In the above-wing-level inspections handled by Coe's staff, the agency looks for ways to make a given program better.

"We've targeted finding those things that are going really well, saying, 'Here's a model program,' and working those into major forums with other commands to share," he said.

To learn more about the inspection agency, go to www.afia.af.mil.