Getting them out the door

  • Published
  • By Geoff Janes
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Many 100th Air Refueling Wing offices were on alternative schedules and services were reduced Feb. 9 through 13 to assist the 352nd Special Operations Group with its operational readiness inspection.

An operational readiness inspection evaluates the programs, processes and procedures, and focuses on how effectively, efficiently and safely a unit accomplishes its assigned missions and responsibilities, as well as compliance with laws, instructions and regulations.

When it comes to a unit processing for deployment - whether it's for a real world deployment, an exercise or an inspection - it requires the assistance of many wing agencies, according to 1st Lt. Morgan Hall, 100th Air Refueling Wing Installation Deployment Officer.

"The 100th's role in the SOG's operational readiness inspection is to ensure that all their personnel and cargo are prepared to meet mission requirements at the deployed location," Lieutenant Hall wrote in an e-mail. "That covers everything from making sure personnel are eligible to deploy to making sure the cargo is air or surface worthy."

It's a role the lieutenant said is important.

"If our role is incorrectly accomplished it could cause severe consequences," he said. "Those consequences being either an Airman is insufficiently equipped or cargo is illegally prepared for shipment."

To ensure the 352nd was able to meet its deployment goals under ORI guidelines, the 100th ARW pulled several people out of their normal duty sections to ensure the deployment process went smoothly.

"People who work the deployment machine come from all parts of the base," Lieutenant Hall explained. "We need the chapel to provide support to personnel deploying, and we need vehicle maintenance to provide inspections on vehicles. We need people to help push cargo onto aircraft, and we need people to make orders.

"The deployment machine is also dependent on the 727th Air Mobility Squadron to provide cargo inspections and transporting cargo to the aircraft," he added. 

Lietenant Hall said that although the outcome of the ORI hasn't been released, things ran smoothly.

"Overall the ORI went well, we've had tons of support and cooperation from everyone involved," he said. "The actual grade is not yet known at this point so we still don't know how we did in the eyes of the Air Force Special Operations Command Inspector General."