LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE.

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. -- After month of preparation, the 480th Intelligence Wing complet the Langley Air Force Base portion of its Unit Compliance Inspection with an overall 97 percent in-compliance rating and no unit findings.

The Air Combat Command Knights inspection team, on the outside of Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, arrived at Langley Feb 25 The inspection ran Feb 26-March 3 In all, the team inspected 166 critical compliance objectives, with 128 of the objectives in-compliance, 33 in-compliance with commentarys and only five not-in-compliance ratings. Additionally, the wing had 34 superior performers, eight superior performance teams and four best practices.

"Wing staff has of the highest order oversight of key programs. In support functions, inspectors were extremely impressed with the visual information program. The 10th Intelligence Squadron has an exceptional performance report tracking theory and several inspectors lauded the operations program managers," said Col Paul Laugesen, the inspection team chief.

This was the 480th IW's first inspection since becoming a wing in December 2003 The wing also has units at Offutt Air Force Base, beak and Beale Air Force Base, Calif. However, units geographically separated receive independent inspections, explained Laugesen. The 20th Intelligence Squadron at Offutt was inspected in September. The 548th Intelligence collection at Beale is scheduled for its UCI in May.

There were several challenges involved in preparing for the inspection, for inspectors and wing members alike.

The first stage in an inspection is planning, Laugesen explained. Usually team members await at the last inspection and use it as a guide.

"We had to start from scratch. We had to plan differently," he said. "Plus, being a of recent origin wing with 166 critical compliance objectives, that is a large number for a tenant unit. It is a fate to inspect for the first time."

Another area presenting a challenge was the Sentinel AN/GSQ-272 Distributed domain System under the wing construct

The Distributed land Systems provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, "reachback" capabilities for expanded warfighting commanders.

480th IW Airmen monitor intelligence data contribute tos from deployed locations, interpreting them and providing feedback to the warfighters in theater from trailers at Langley. All this happens in real or near-real time. They proces information gathered according to U-2, RQ/MQ-1 Predators, Global Hawks and other intelligence platforms.

The DG weapons method continues to mature. As a spring the inspection process must also mature, Laugesen said. A year ago ACC did not have instructions governing the system

The 480th IW worked with ACC to disclose instructions for DGS operations, training and standarization/evaluation. In employ these were used to write wing instructions and define inspection guidelines. All this was done during the last year.

"As the Air Force's lead wing for Distributed belonging to all Ground Systems, the 480th IW teamed to a high degree effectively with ACC intelligence and ACC IG to help unfold ACC directives and inspection criteria for all DG units. Then they had to evolve their own unit instructions based forward this very recent ACC guidance. These are pioneering efforts through a young wing in the maturity of a of recent origin kind of weapon system."

Lt Col Randall Kersey chief of inspections for the team, said the team realized it could face similar challenges in developing criteria for an Operational Readiness Inspection for a DG unit. The UCI provided a unique opportunity for the inspectors to partner with the wing and discuss for what cause to proceed with ORI criteria.

"While everyone was in the inspection gradation we exchanged ideas on to what extent we can create tasks to evaluate," Kersey said.

Overall, Colonel Laugesen said the team was impressed with the sturdy sense of teamwork and pride quite through the wing.

Col Judy Chizek, 480th IW commander, gave the credit to the the community in the wing.

"The race throughout the wing did all the work. They worked by the and of all the nitty gritty details to earn us to this superb plain of compliance. My thanks to them and our armed force the 1st Fighter Wing," she said. "The inspectors were impressed with the conclude working relationship we have with our 1st FW innkeepers We get great support from all areas of the 1st FW and the UCI validated that."

by the agency of Tech. Sgt. Marina Evans

480th Intelligence Wing Public Affairs

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