JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
After planning, preparing and practicing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis earned an overall grade of "Excellent" for the installation's Phase 1 Operational Readiness Inspection.
The ORI, April 8-13, evaluated major mission areas for the 633rd Air Base Wing, 1st Fighter Wing and 192nd Fighter Wing, including command and control, deployment processing, employment readiness, information operations and force protection.
The inspection was the first of its kind for a Joint Base, as well as the first for an Air Combat Command combat-ready F-22 unit. Collectively, the three wings "deployed" more than 470 Airmen and prepared 260 short tons of cargo, processing 120 personnel records checked with no errors. The 1st FW and 192nd FW's efforts exemplified the total force initiative, successfully deploying and regenerating their tasked number of aircraft during the inspection.
Col. R.C. Craig, ACC Inspector General team chief, announced the inspection results to a full auditorium of JBLE leadership and personnel. The colonel commended base Airmen, Soldiers and civilians for their professionalism, devotion and execution during the ORI. Even as lawmakers took Federal budget negotiations to the brink of a government shutdown on the eve of the inspection, the wings remained resilient and prepared for the challenge.
"I give these commanders huge kudos for taking a new wing and a new joint base from the start and bringing that into a huge ORI like this," he said. "The wings have their act together. Your Airmen understood the importance of this inspection, and their attitudes reflected that."
Col. Donald Kirkland, 633rd ABW commander, took the floor following Colonel Craig, thanking the ACC IG team for a "fair and thorough inspection," and congratulated fellow commanders and their wings for a job well done.
"We're proud to have demonstrated our readiness to [ACC commander] General Fraser and national leadership, proving that Joint Base Langley-Eustis is ready to do our job. I'm proud to be a part of this team," he said.
While he expressed his appreciation for the successes, Colonel Kirkland reinforced his commitment to continued improvement.
"After we take a breather, let's dig through the report to find the things we're doing right and keep doing them and use the wealth of knowledge and wisdom the inspectors shared with us to make ourselves even better," he said. "We're ready today. Our nation needs us to stay ready."