tig brief - Air Force Inspection Agency

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IN FOCUS Nuclear Weapons Technical Inspection Oversight Col. Scott Edwards Defense Threat Reduction Agency Kirtland AFB Over the last two years, the Air Force Inspection Agency (AFIA) and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) have conducted oversight inspection programs to ensure inspection programs across the Air Force and Department of Defense continue to be valuable to the nuclear mission. Recently, both agencies took a step back from their demanding inspection schedules to conduct a joint AFSO 21 Rapid Improvement Event (RIE). The RIE focused on improving communication and coordination between oversight teams to identify opportunities to optimize independent processes and to improve leadership’s confidence in the nuclear enterprise oversight programs. Over the course of a week, key members of AFIA and DTRA oversight inspection teams carefully analyzed every aspect of both agencies’ oversight inspection processes. The RIE concentrated on improving and optimizing the oversight inspection process by addressing potential improvements in inspector training, clarifying higher guidance, identifying obstacles to communication, and 16 Summer 2011 establishing a clear avenue for sharing information while conducting independent assessments. The RIE team identified “communication triggers” in both agencies’ oversight processes to establish a common framework of information that would enhance their independent assessment processes. In short, AFIA and DTRA will talk more often at certain points in the process to establish the facts of an inspection event and submit a coordinated request to external sources. This will improve the oversight inspection process tremendously by establishing a common baseline of information for each inspection, thus reducing the chance of differences between teams when assessing the same situation. The new target for each oversight inspection will be to: • Request information from the same source • Coordinate requests between AFIA and DTRA • Refine guidance and resolve ambiguous items After establishing common baselines of information, AFIA and DTRA will springboard into separate deliberation methods to maintain the independent nature of both agencies’ processes. The hard work was not finished—the team also codified the arrangements needed to execute this process through an action plan. The action plan addresses the issues identified and enables the oversight inspection processes of AFIA and DTRA to evolve into the desired state of establishing common baselines of inspection
facts during each Nuclear Surety Oversight Inspection. Ultimately, the improvement team developed an executable action plan that provides a credible road map to improve the oversight inspection processes for DTRA and AFIA. In summary, improving the nuclear mission is not just a phrase on a slide; AFIA and DTRA will improve the nuclear mission through the oversight inspection process. For one week in early August 2011, AFIA and DTRA conducted a process review just as the units do because of an inspection. Training T3 Advanced Insp Crs w/OPRs T2 Include DTRA process in NSI Crs T1 NWTI new Exec T/C Crs Interpretation I1 Discussions Obstacles/Barriers to Communication NWTI Fishbone.igx OB1 Lack of Insp time for staff work C-1 OV/OI Friction Hotwash OB2 Insp schedule too short OB3 SME Mindset I3 Appropriate Source Validation OB4 Perceptions--footprint, whitespace, timing OB5 Command influence OB6 Non-consolidated AF/Navy front OB7 Inspector Experience/Knowledge I2 Func Staff Multi-Hat Conflict (SAVs) Guidance G6 AFIA CONOPS Hotwash G5 Change MOAs for validation G4 Improve AFI 90-201 G3 Service Applicable Definitions G2 Imprv CJCSI Guid/Defs G1 DTRA ROE Hotwash C-2 AFIA/DTRA Mtg between PRGs C-3 Focus on Fact Discovery @ AFIA NSIC C4 Comm Concerns w/SME Response to Staffs C5 Codify OV Comm Points in ROE & CONOPS C6 Strengthen MOAs -- Responsibility (Who?) The RIE yielded an improvement plan for the oversight inspection process forged by both agencies that will benefit the nuclear mission well into the future. For AFIA and DTRA, it was a historic moment in time when two different agencies came together and improved the nuclear mission through the use of a Rapid Improvement Event (or Eight-Step Problem Solving Methodology) … not an oversight inspection. Communication Summer 2011 Improve and Optimize AFIA and DTRA Oversight Processes Photos by Eleanor Harris 17
Page 1 and 2: The Official Magazine of the Air Fo
Page 3 and 4: FROM THE TOP TABLE OF CONTENTS Col.
Page 5 and 6: The Commander and Nuclear Surety Co
Page 7 and 8: Air Force Inspection Agency (AFIA)
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Page 15: EVOLVING ATSO INSPECTION SMSgt. Dan
Page 19 and 20: ELECTRONIC RECORDS MANAGEMENT SMSgt
Page 21 and 22: 21 CTIA - The Wireless Association
Page 23 and 24: Flynn and Leaf Awards MAJCOM-Level
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Page 27 and 28: MENTAL HEALTH EVALUATION REFERRAL D

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