Using the 'one team, no seam' concept for upcoming ORI

Published June 21, 2011
By Col. Steven Chapman
315th Airlift Wing commander

JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. -- As members of Joint Base Charleston, under the moniker of the 121st Air Expeditionary Wing, ramp up for the Operational Readiness Inspection, it's important we stay focused and keep our bearing relative to what we have accomplished in preparation for the ORI and what is yet to come. An ORI is hugely demanding, but the reward is validation that we are doing the best at what we do. The inspection will assess our entire team's ability to execute our wartime mission, and will prove we are ready to meet any tasking, at any time.

We just completed a positioning the force exercise (passenger and cargo processing) called Crisis Look 11-02 which, from my perspective, was very successful. We found areas in need of strengthening and validated many of our processes which we will fine tune to ensure success. During Crisis Look 11-02, we exercised about 500 out of 3,600 inspectable checklist items. The inspector general calls them "inspection criteria" and they were previously called "mission essential tasks." The remaining 3,100 inspection criteria are associated with our ability to position, sustain and employ our personnel and assets while surviving and operating in a war-time environment away from home station.
Together, the 121 AEW is comprised of a spectacular team of professional Airmen with limitless potential; but we have just begun the crawl, walk, run process on the pathway to success. We have a lot of work ahead of us to ensure success: circuit training, command and control exercises and the upcoming fly-away operational readiness exercises, to name just a few preparatory events.

I like to think of these exercises as building blocks to our performing effectively and seamlessly in the ORI and in our real world missions. It takes a large effort to mobilize a joint reserve and active duty force but with the right attitude and everyone working as a team, the transition will be seamless. The buildup to an ORI is what really counts, because this preparation causes processes and skills to be honed. Train the way we fight, or in this case, execute the ORI.

I'm certain you'll see the following items several more times before the ORI, but this is some advice on other less tangible aspects on how to be successful during an ORI:

- Read and understand the Limitations and Simulations and the Special Interest Items. It will save a lot of heartache during all of your training, OREs and most importantly the ORI.

- Know the inspection criteria for your area. It's what the IG uses to grade you.

- Know and love your Airmen's Manual. Review it often and tab the most important, most often used sections. During slow times, either at home station or during one of the upcoming training events or fly-aways, pull out your Airmen's Manual and review or quiz your friends.

- This is a no-brainer: Do everything safely and practice sound risk management.

- Know your work and rest cycle. This is a critical safety issue which is taken very seriously by your leadership and the IG.

- Be responsive! Everything must be done with a sense of urgency. This means accomplishing an order or tasking quickly, effectively and correctly the first time within the time constraints that you may be under.

- Be on time!

- Fight the war, not the IG. You know your job and ORI related responsibilities ... do it! Don't worry about the IG and the impact they may or may not have on the working environment.

- Develop a wingman approach for everything you do.

- The OREs and ORIs are not over until they're over. Remember, the IG will be watching until you are released from duty at Charleston, so be professional and follow the IG ground rules.

- As Winston Churchill stated, "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." Great attitude = success!

The time and effort in preparing for an ORI calibrates our readiness and inspires confidence within our units that they have passed the toughest test. I want to thank everyone for what we have accomplished as a team and for what each of you will accomplish in the future as a team.

The road to success - one team, no seam!