ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- After the news of receiving the grade of “effective” on the Unit Evaluation Inspection (UEI), units throughout the 139th Airlift Wing knew their hard work and dedication from the last five years paid off. Around 67 inspectors from Air Mobility Command (AMC) arrived during the week of March 4-13, 2024 and spent a week evaluating the wing on a variety of mission essential regulations and procedures.
“The UEI is not a singular event,” said Maj. Robert Payeur, 139th Airlift Wing inspector general. “It is a cycle of continual evaluation of our wing’s performance based on the four major graded areas: leading people, improving the unit, managing resources and executing the mission. The UEI cycle is managed by AMC’s IG team, led by our local IG [Inspector General] team, and occurs over a 5-year period.”
From dawn to dusk of each day, the base hummed with activity. Units rotated through a series of assessments, each one designed to evaluate different aspects of their readiness. From equipment maintenance to medical readiness to administrative efficiency, every facet of operations was evaluated.
“The UEI core team conducts an in-depth pre-analysis of the unit to address compliance to established guidance,” said Maj. Weber Munsayac, deputy team chief, Headquarters AMC/IGI. “AMC/IG relies heavily on the augmentee inspector as functional experts from career fields across the MAF [Mobility Air Force] to identify undetected non-compliance to inspect and improve the unit.”
Having a large inspection team present seems intimidating for many Airmen, however each AMC inspector made it known they were there to help Airmen improve the wing.
“We’ve tried to emphasize our goal is to help units validate their readiness for the Great Power Competition and work to improve in areas of mitigating risk, given their existing resources,” said Munsayac.
Their assessments recognized excellence while offering constructive feedback for improvement. Each unit embraced the feedback with humility, knowing that continuous refinement was the hallmark of a truly elite force.
“While there is no doubt that our wing is fully capable of executing our mission, this independent assessment and detailed feedback helps ensure that we can lock in our strengths and improve our weaknesses as we immediately step into the next UEI cycle,” said Payeur.
As the inspection team departed, their evaluations complete, each unit breathed a sigh of relief. AMC/IG issued the grade of “effective” to the wing in all four graded areas. In the crucible of inspection week, amidst the pressure and the scrutiny, the wing had proven once again that it was ready for any challenge that came its way.