CUI: the parallel between war and compliance Published May 9, 2013 By Senior Airman Christina Bozeman 94th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. -- George Washington once said "To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace." It's true, isn't it? If we take the proper measures, the event for which we're planning has a better chance of yielding a positive outcome. Dobbins has been preparing for an upcoming Consolidated Unit Inspection. The former name was Unit Compliance Inspection, and entails the same processes. "If you're on top of your programs all the time, then it's just a matter of a quick review and a few tweaks here and there," said Lt. Col. John Vallrugo, 94th Airlift Wing process manager. "If not, then you have a lot of work to do." Units are inspected to assess efficiency and effectiveness of compliance, operational readiness, nuclear surety and other areas. "We dusted off the results from our August 2008 inspection, looked to see where we had problems before and used them as guides to where we might need to put more emphasis," Vallrugo said. With the amount of time to prepare, it seems as if it was only months ago that the last CUI was performed, when in actuality, the wing was inspected over four years ago. Dobbins has been operating at maximum speed to plan for the approaching review and began planning for the inspection almost a year ago. "It's a multifaceted process with many parts, and we looked at many different things in order to be as ready and prepared as possible," said Vallrugo. "We spent the vast majority of our time ensuring we were tracking and running the appropriate checklists per unit. So, there were many moving pieces all happening at once as we prepared for the inspection." Through executing steps and processes, the critical planning for the inspection mirrors the preparedness it requires to be ready for war. If that is so, and we remain in a constant state of readiness, then will surely be ready for the approaching CUI. "The compliance inspection is more of a peacetime inspection of our day-to-day operations and activities than say, an Operations Readiness Inspection, which focuses on our ability to conduct wartime operations," Vallrugo said. "They're two different sets of "skills" so to speak, though having programs up to speed and compliant helps facilitate our preparedness to perform our wartime mission." The inspection will take roughly a week to complete, and compliance is what the wing is targeting. "You don't do compliance for compliance sake," said Lt. Col. David Smith, 94th Airlift Wing combat readiness chief. "You do the compliance to prepare, just as you would prepare for war." To be overall compliant is what the wing is striving for. With so many variables and different planning phases, it's critical that members go step by step and follow their procedures and checklists, to receive good marks from the inspectors. "There is a five-tier grading system of how Dobbins will be scored," Smith said. "We will be graded accordingly." A CUI can also bring added stress to the workplace. Col. Tim Tarchick, 94th Airlift Wing commander, reminds wing members to remain safe and steadfast in our mission. "These are stressful times for all of us," said Tarchick. "Please watch out for each other, and be good wingmen." Gilbert Keith Chesterton, an English journalist and writer in the late 19th century, said "The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." "Doing well during this inspection is a leadership issue at all levels," said Tarchick. To be successful, everyone must own it, and earn it. Get engaged and involved."
