27 SOW receives 'Excellent' CUI rating

The 27th Special Operations Wing closed its 2012 Air Force Special Operations Command Consolidated Unit Inspection July 30 with the wing earning an overall "Excellent" inspection rating. This year's CUI was the first of its kind for AFSOC.

USAF: Airman 1st Class Ericka Engblom

U.S. Air Force Maj. Steven Kohut, 27th Special Operations Wing Inspector General, announces the "Excellent" rating received for the 2012 Air Force Special Operations Command Consolidated Unit Inspection at an all-call near the flightline July 26 at Cannon Air Force Base. This year's CUI consisted of a combination of eight individual inspections and was the first of its kind for AFSOC.

The task presented to the wing was formidable — prepare the wing and its units for a combination of eight individual inspections.

Preparations began in February across the base, with the release of new regulations pertaining to the inspection being released mid-March.

During the inspection out-brief, Col. Craig Walker, 27 SOW vice commander, and the Inspector General team recognized Air Commandos that made the inspection a success.

"While the entire wing can take pride in the success of the inspection, squadron and group leadership has identified key individuals who went above and beyond to ensure success," said Senior Master Sgt. Bill Seaman, 27 SOW/IG superintendent. "These individuals distinguished themselves and served in leadership capacities during the preparation for and execution of the wings unprecedented eight consecutive inspections."

The wing presented five Air Commandos with the Air Force Commendation Medal for their efforts.

Members were praised for enabling the wing to continue normal operations without interruption while accommodating more than 200 inspectors over a two and a half week inspection. These five commandos guided the wing through more than 2,100 self-assessment checklists, executed more than 130,000 inspection items and oversaw the closure of more than 1,000 self-identified discrepancies.

Ten others were presented with the Air Force Achievement Medal for providing tenacious leadership required to achieve unit compliance while concurrently becoming subject matter experts within their fields.

"These members formed the cornerstone the wing's effort to achieve excellence in an unmatched eight simultaneous inspections across all groups and agencies," Seaman said. "Their tireless efforts and keen attention to detail enabled the accurate design and recording of hundreds of ever-changing checklists into the Manager's Internal Control Toolset program, an AFSOC first."

"The values of these men and women fostered a previously unseen level of commitment across the wing by robustly incorporating the MICT program for all units, setting the standard for AFSOC and earning the Air Force Inspection Agency director's unfretted praise by producing the new benchmark to measure all subsequent CUIs," he said.

The wing was initially challenged by the release of a new Air Force Instruction governing the inspection. Air Commandos worked quickly when faced with any potential set-backs in order to succeed.

"The faith that Col. Elton has in all Air Commandos here at Cannon is indescribable," said Walker. "Be extremely proud of what you've accomplished; continue this process of self-identifying issues and taking corrective actions as we move forward with our mission here at Cannon."