JBPHH units prepare for UCI excellence Published Feb. 1, 2012 By Senior Airman Lauren Main 15th Wing Public Affairs JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- This year marks an important year for Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. The 15th Wing, 154th Wing, and 647th Air Base Group will all undergo the single most significant inspection in the Air Force: the Consolidated Unit Inspection, or CUI. CUI's are conducted approximately every four years and are carried out to evaluate compliance with federal statutes, Department of Defense directives and Air Force Instructions. "The CUI is vital to the success of our mission," said Col. Joe Dague, 15th Wing vice commander. "It ensures that we maintain the health of the fleet; compliance with policy, guidance and laws; and keeps us focused on safe and reliable mission execution." Approximately 189 major command evaluators selected from across the Air Force, under the direction of Pacific Air Forces Inspector General, will assess each organization from the wing commander and staff down to individual offices in each squadron. In addition, the IG team will evaluate an Emergency Management Exercise that will test JBPHH's emergency response capabilities. The CUI is based on a five-tier inspection rating. The ratings are Outstanding, Excellent, Satisfactory, Marginal and Unsatisfactory. The evaluators will arrive on Feb. 4 and begin their assessment on Feb. 6. The inspection will last for a total of six days, during which time the evaluators will use compliance performance checklists, which outline the ways a unit should be executing the mission in accordance with Air Force Instructions. In addition to the CUI, there will be four specific types of sub-inspections carried out within the respective units: the Logistics Compliance Assessment Program (LCAP), Standardization and Evaluation Program for Weather Operations (SEPWO), Airfield Operations Compliance Inspection (AOCI), and Aircrew Standardization/Evaluation Visit (ASEV). "Each of the sub-inspections is designed to ensure quality assurance programs are effective and that units are performing their assigned missions, to evaluate each program's ability to comply with Air Force standards, and to identify negative trends," said Maj. David Ericson, 15th Wing Inspection Preparation Officer-in-Charge. "Upon completion of the inspections, the positive practices and procedures that are viewed as successful will be highlighted and cross-fed to other Air Force units." He went on to give a brief explanation of the differences between the sub-inspections. "During the SEPWO, evaluators evaluate Weather Flight personnel in four areas: airfield support function, mission integration function, staff integration function, and weather interest items," Ericson said. "The AOCI evaluates the ability of the airfield traffic systems to meet standards and operational requirements of military and civil users. And finally, the ASEV is an evaluation of aircrew performance and includes aircrew check rides of at least 20% in all crew positions and mission qualifications. This inspection also includes standardized testing for 100% of crewmembers with a required passing score of 85% or higher." 1st Lt. Amon Hennessee, 15th Maintenance Squadron executive officer, chimed in to explain the LCAP. "LCAP applies to Air Force units performing duties across the full spectrum of logistics," Hennessee said. "The purpose of the LCAP is to provide leadership at all levels with an evaluation of a unit's ability to perform key logistics processes in a safe, standardized, repeatable, and technically compliant manner. The LCAP is focused on evaluating the effectiveness of personnel and logistics processes." Additionally, there will be an Information Assurance Assessment and Assistance Program Inspection (IAAP), which will happen at the same time, but is unrelated to the CUI. The IAAP will be conducted by the Headquarters Air Force Network Integration Center, and is not restricted to the units that are being inspected for the CUI. All units that are supported by the base Information Assurance and Communications Security (COMSEC) offices are subject to this inspection, which evaluates the base's security posture, according to Master Sgt. Michelle Nie-Martin, JBPHH communications security manager. "The major areas receiving attention will include: Emission Security (EMSEC), Computer Security (COMPUSEC), and Communications Security (COMSEC)," she said. "These key programs encompass the classified and encrypted communications, physically and logically, that support numerous missions and units homed in Hawaii." With so many inspections and inspectors on base, John Tauber, chief of the Joint Base Exercise and Training office, offered a bit of advice to base personnel. "The potential for traffic delays and a reduction in some customer service areas should be expected," he said.