What Can I Do? Published Dec. 1, 2009 By Chief Master Sgt. Timothy Horn 22nd Air Refueling Wing command chief MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- Our Unit Compliance Inspection is scheduled for Feb. 22 2010 - that's less than three months away! Once upon a time, when Chief Master Sgt. Horn was Senior Airman Horn, I experienced my first UCI. I remember that I really wanted my squadron to get a high rating, but I was unsure how I could help. With that perspective in mind, I decided to help those who are feeling that same way by assembling a short list of actions that each of you can take to help the team succeed. Focus on the right stuff: Remember, the focus is on compliance. That is, following the rules and having clear and efficient processes for doing your job. Inspection teams tend to value standardization across similar programs. Get in the books: Find out what core Air Force Instructions and Technical Orders govern your functional area. Be familiar with them. If you're not in compliance with something in the AFI, find out why. If we need to fix it, offer to help! Get on the internet: Go to Air Force Knowledge Now, available via the AF Portal, and look for a Community of Practice that relates to your job or area of responsibility. Look for lessons learned, templates for common programs or other information that may help you prepare. Get on the intranet: Visit our UCI internal Web site. Look at the checklists that pertain to your area. If you can't answer those questions, start asking your supervisor what you would say to an inspector. Get out of the office: This is especially true if you have an additional duty that is common to many people. For example, let's say that you are the flight safety monitor. Take the time to visit the safety monitors from other flights, compare programs and take the best from each. Get your own records in order: Everything that you have ownership or influence on, from training records to mobility folders, should be accurate, up-to-date and neat in appearance. Make sure you are current on everything from your medical shots to ancillary training requirements. Offer to help: If you don't "own" a program, that doesn't mean you can't help. Ask around and be willing to do the time-consuming grunt work if that's what is most needed at the time. It may not be the most satisfying work, but you might free up time for someone else to get their program in order. Remember, it's a team effort! Remember aggressiveness, attitude and appearance: Those are key concepts for UCI preparation. Be aggressive in your efforts - there's a lot of work to do! Have a great attitude and show pride in your programs and in your unit. Finally, don't forget about appearance. When an inspector walks into a pig sty, they instinctively dig in and look for problems; when they walk into a clean and tidy work area, they know the people care about their facilities and their programs. It makes a difference!