A roadmap to forge ahead Published May 9, 2011 By Col. Brett J. Clark 908th Airlift Wing MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- "I 'm certainly glad to be back in the 908th after returning from my extended deployment to the CENTCOM AOR in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. First of all, I'd like to thank all those who took the time to greet me at the airport when I returned to Montgomery. It was great to have such a warm welcome! Secondly, let me thank each and every one of you for the excellent results from the 22nd Air Force Staff Assistance Visit (SAV) and Logistics Staff Assistance Visit (LSAV). From the onset, the team chief expected between 200 and 250 observations; however, we only received 150. That says a lot about where we've come in our journey to become widely recognized as an elite unit where each member considers it a privilege to belong to an organization rich with pride and dedicated to a legacy of high achievement! This is the 908th Airlift Wing's vision, which I expect each of you to aspire to. As we strive to make this vision a reality approaching the 2012 Compliance Inspection, I offer the following to build your own roadmap. Make a copy of the 22nd Air Force SAV/LSAV report and share it with your folks, paying particular attention to the observations in your shop or office. Create a corrective action plan in accordance with instructions provided by 22nd Air Force and the 908th Airlift Wing's Performance Planning office. Get everyone in your shop or office involved when creating corrective action plans to make sure nothing is missed and all unit members are onboard with the preparation effort. Next, run your corrective action plans through your supervisor to your commander, and finally, to the performance planning office. For observations identified for remedy or improvement, the Group Commanders, Col. Shepherd or myself will review the corrective action plans to ensure we hit the mark. I will review the corrective action plans for all answerable observations, before forwarding them to the 22 AF/CC. Contact performance planning if you have questions about this process. One point I want to be clear on, commanders and self inspection monitors at all levels must be familiar with and use the Management Internal Control Toolset (MICT). This computer based self-inspection program was produced by HQ AFRC/IG and endorsed by HQ AMC/CC as the one of the best ways to continuously improve management processes. According to AMC/IG, "MICT is the best and most effective way to prepare for and maintain readiness for Compliance Inspections." Prior to the CI (formerly UCI), we'll have two more semi-annual self-inspections. The first will take place in June and the second in January 2012 prior to the Compliance Inspection in June. Let me be the first to remind you to take these seriously. Run the checklists candidly and consider bringing in outside help, i.e., 22nd Air Force functional or widely recognized experts from the field. Additionally, there will be numerous internal staff assistance visits and audits conducted during the build-up for the CI. I ask that you be prepared for these SAVs/Audits and work hard to fix any problem areas or programs. The worst thing we can do is go into the Compliance Inspection having the potential for "repeat" write-ups, so take a look at previous inspection results and make sure that doesn't happen. Lastly, I want to offer my sincere thanks to our Vice Commander, Col Rob Shepherd, for the outstanding leadership he provided to the wing in my absence. Rob is truly one-of-a-kind and my deployment to Afghanistan would simply not have been possible without his tremendous sacrifice and support. Next time you see him, please join me in thanking him for all his efforts while leading this wing with the highest degree of integrity, excellence, and selflessness.