JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
When a patient feels pain, a doctor checks them to find the best way to treat them. The Inspector General’s office performs the same way as a doctor would for units within the U.S Air Force.
At Joint Base Langley-Eustis, the job of an IG office inspection team is to perform a total systematic check of the units on the installation.
“We look for deficiencies, as well as things that are being done well,” said William Gibson, 633rd Air Base Wing investigation and inquiry specialist. “When you have a complaint, our job is to assist like a doctor to help resolve that problem.”
The IG office manages the commander’s inspection program, ensuring units are running smoothly and have adequate resources to continue the mission. These inspections consist of exercises, such as deployment and active shooter exercises at the unit or base level.
If there are issues within the unit that are detected during an exercise, the IG will report their findings to the commander so that they can be fixed. Whether it’s inadequate training, insufficient manning or not having the proper equipment, the IG will direct the problem to the proper fields to get it corrected.
“We’re trying to [stop] problems before they happen,” said Scott Van Dyke, 633rd Air Base Wing inspector general. “We take a look at a unit, either through an inspection or exercise to identify problem areas and get some resolution before they become [worse].”
The IG office regularly conducts different exercises at JBLE to ensure everyone on the installation is ready and mission capable, in case an incident or emergency were to happen.
Conducting inspections during exercises alongside the IG members are wing inspection team members. While the members of the IG office oversee the exercise making sure everything runs smoothly, the WIT members inspect their unit properly.
Since they know the ins-and-outs of what the unit must do during an incident or emergency, WIT members are subject matter experts that are handpicked by the commander from each unit. After the individuals are chosen, they must attend training conducted by the IG office, which includes explanations on what they should and shouldn’t look for during an inspection and how to properly grade the inspection.
“They all take an oath that they will have the integrity to be the wing commander’s eyes and evaluate their unit,” said Randy Renaud, 633rd Air Base Wing exercise program manager. “We have some good WIT members who want to do a great job and are passionate about looking at their own systems and improving them.”
WIT members and IG office members work hand-in-hand together like a doctor and nurse to keep the units on JBLE mission ready. In addition, if they discover any broken bones in the system, they’ll find a way it get them fixed so that JBLE is ready for whatever may come in the future.