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Air Force Special Operations Command is the Special Operations side of the Air Force and the Air Force side of Special Operations Command

Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) provides Air Force special operations forces for worldwide deployment and assignment to regional unified commands. The command's Special Operations Forces (SOF) are composed of highly trained, rapidly deployable Airmen, conducting global special operations missions ranging from precision application of firepower to infiltration, exfiltration, resupply and refueling of SOF operational elements.

AFSOC IG conducts first no-notice inspection

  • Published
  • By Capt Savannah Stephens
  • AFSOC Public Affairs

Air Force Special Operations Command’s Inspector General team conducted its first no-notice inspection, Nov. 30 – Dec. 2, 2020 on the 1st Special Operations Wing. This was IG’s first no-notice inspection since 2013.

In June 2020, U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, commander of AFSOC, directed AFSOC IG to begin planning no-notice inspections. The focus areas were on task evaluation, trending risk areas and training validation, performance evaluations, and emphasis on compliance and identification of additional staff support requirements.

“It’s important for our wings to know that good enough today will fail tomorrow like Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Brown laid out in Accelerate Change or Lose,” said U.S. Air Force CMSgt David Snarr, Chief Enlisted Manager to the AFSOC Inspector General. “Our IG team has the ability to detect problems at the unit level, and advocate for the resources needed to help fix those discrepancies.”

The IG team’s goal was to provide a credible no-notice inspection of the 1st SOW. They evaluated a limited sample of wing personnel performing selected tasks in aircraft operations, aircraft maintenance, installation preparedness, command and control, and other interest items.

“Whether assessing the lethality of our aircrews, testing the responsiveness of our defenders at the gate, or evaluating our maintainers’ ability to put planes in the air, we want to make sure that the command is equipping our human capital and identifying any shortfalls that hurt our readiness,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Jeffrey Adling, IG team chief with AFSOC IG.

Units performed exercises based on real-world scenarios during the task-focused inspection. The 1st Special Operations Security Forces Squadron completed a gate-runner exercise and the 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron Emergency Management Flight demonstrated chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear operations capabilities during a vehicle sweep. Inspectors also flew on most AFSOC aircraft to evaluate crew proficiencies and ensure U.S. Special Operations Command readiness objectives are being met.

“We get what we inspect and not what we expect,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Rendos, AFSOC Inspector General. “We inspect to ensure readiness and are looking forward to continuing this program across the command in the future.”