Charting the Course for a New Air Force Inspection System

The Air Force relies on inspections by the Inspector General and assessments and evaluations by functional area managers to ensure that all wings comply with Air Force standards and are ready to execute their contingency missions. These oversight activities have grown dramatically over time, and the Inspector General of the Air Force (SAF/IG) is leading an Air Force-wide effort to reduce this burden while also improving the quality of oversight that the inspection system provides. In 2010, SAF/IG asked RAND Project AIR FORCE to collect and assess data on the inspection system and to identify effective inspection and information collection practices that the Air Force inspection system might emulate. Through a review of such external inspection practices as the Air Force Culture Assessment Tool program (AFCAST), the Air Force Climate Survey, and the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) inspection system; an investigation of Air Force personnel's experiences in the field; and a review of literature on topics including leadership and organizational change, RAND formulated recommendations tailored to each of SAF/IG's five major inspection system goals: (1) choosing a better inspection interval, (2) reducing the inspection footprint, (3) increasing the emphasis on self-inspections and self-reporting, (4) introducing the new Unit Effectiveness Inspection (UEI), and (5) introducing the Management Internal Control Toolset (MICT). RAND's research and recommendations are detailed in this report.