.da_story_info span
{
color: #333333;
}
Air Force officials establish core team for Nuclear Surety Inspections
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFNS) -- -- Agency officials here recently created a new team to increase the
standardization and consistency of Nuclear Surety Inspections across the Air
Force.
The establishment of a centralized team of nuclear inspectors, known as the
Air Force NSI Core Team, is another critical milestone as Air Force officials
continue ensuring unwavering standards of perfection and precision across the
nuclear enterprise.
The core team concept of operations is to augment major command inspector
general-led NSIs.
"The purpose of the core team is to provide MAJCOM/IG teams a tailored,
dedicated group of highly skilled, very proficient nuclear inspectors whose
primary mission is to augment 10 to 14 NSIs per year across all nuclear
MAJCOMs. The desired effect is to help ensure exacting nuclear standards are
applied consistently and effectively across the Air Force," said Maj. Gen.
Garry C. Dean, the deputy inspector general of the Air Force. "An assignment
to the core team will take subject matter experts from the field, train and
certify them as nuclear inspectors and grow their experience across the Air
Force nuclear enterprise."
"This team merges with the MAJCOM/IG team to form a single inspection unit,
under the direction of the MAJCOM/IG team chief, while AFIA provides the
deputy team chief." said Lt. Col. Phillip Layman of the AFIA Inspection and
Oversight Directorate. "The MAJCOM/IG team chief retains the authority as the
on-site director and is responsible for determining the inspection grade and
completing the inspection report to the MAJCOM commander."
After an initial operating capability of four Airmen, the core team will
eventually grow to 20 Airmen as the filling of key nuclear billets across the
Air Force allows.
"New core team inspectors are selected based on past nuclear career experience
and performance," Colonel Layman said. "They will complete SAF/IG inspector
training and the AFIA Nuclear Surety Inspector's Course before augmenting an
NSI."
The Nuclear Surety Inspector's Course, also recently established by AFIA to
help reinvigorate the nuclear enterprise, standardizes all training and
certification of Air Force NSI inspectors.
"The course will not only improve the standardization of NSIs, but it will
also elevate the inspector experience and contribute to NSI lessons learned
and trend analysis processes," said George Parrott, the AFIA/IO deputy
director.
Additionally, core team members will support the semi-annual NSI process
review, the NSI inspector training and certification program, as well as
applicable conferences and meetings held through the nuclear enterprise.
"AFIA is proud to be gaining this new mission and we are the right
organization to provide the standardization support to the MAJCOMs since we
see all of the NSIs," said Col. H.B. Brual, the AFIA commander.
"Establishing a core team of inspectors is a significant step toward meeting
the chief of staff of the Air Force's No. 1 priority."
The idea was conceived in the fall of 2008. In October, the Air Force Nuclear
Task Force wrote in its roadmap, "Reinvigorating the Air Force Nuclear
Enterprise," the recommendation of creating a central core team of NSI
inspectors. The Nuclear Oversight Board validated that recommendation in
December and Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley approved it in
March.
The first core team augmentation of a MAJCOM NSI is scheduled for the end of
July 2009.