LSEP evaluates maintenance, logistics performance Published July 6, 2006 By Staff Sgt. James Wilkinson 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- While most units sole focus was just the Unit Compliance Inspection during the second week of January, the 436th Maintenance and Mission Support Groups and their underlying units were challenged with two inspections simultaneously. The Logistics Standardization and Evaluation Program was conducted in conjunction with the UCI inspector general team visit Jan. 9 - 17 and is required for all Air Mobility Command logistics functions. Unlike the UCI, the LSEP assessed not only units from the 436th Airlift Wing, but also evaluated the 512th AW logistics functions. "It gives the base an outside look to ensure we are in compliance with (Air Force Instruction) and accomplishing tasks in accordance with (technical orders)," said Master Sgt. Michael Medvec, 436th Maintenance Squadron hydraulic section chief. The purpose of the LSEP inspection is to evaluate crucial processes throughout AMC logistics functions to ensure uniform job performance and compliance with established standards. "(AMC) uses established criteria so that every wing in the command is meeting the criteria for doing their job safely and by the book," said Chief Master Sgt. Donald Miller, 436th Maintenance Operations Squadron chief of quality assurance. "It's a two-year report card for how well the wings are performing." The LSEP is an important evaluation tool, and highlights problems within a wing that deserve command attention, he added. "If (the LSEP inspectors) find a certain problem in five out of the six wings, they can seek command involvement to help fix the problem," said Chief Miller, LSEP wing point of contact. This was Dover's second LSEP, and the last inspection was conducted in 2003. The inspection is normally conducted every 18 months, in conjunction with a UCI. AMC usually coordinates the two inspections together to cause the least possible impact and avoid interfering with the base's mission, said the chief. "The AMC IG directorate runs the UCI program and the A-4 (logistics) section runs the LSEP, so there are two separate directorates, said Chief Miller. "The UCI and the LSEP have two separate agendas; the UCI is compliance-driven, and the LSEP is performance driven." According to the chief, there are major differences between preparing for an LSEP and a UCI. "For a UCI, you can go to your IG homepage for the checklist, so it's basically an open book test that (units) start six months ahead of time," he explained. "The LSEP is much more difficult because (inspectors) evaluate the maintenance culture and working culture of the unit, which is something you need to inculcate within your troops from the day they start work and teach them how to do their job safely, follow a checklist and not take shortcuts." The evaluations were carried out as work was being performed. The inspectors attended production meetings so they had inside information as to which aircraft were being loaded, worked on or towed. The evaluators then went to where the work was being done to assess their performance. "It's really tough when (an inspector) is looking over your shoulder and you're either going to pass or fail," he added. The MXG started preparing for the LSEP in September when they trained 72 quality assurance augmentees, said the chief. The training target was for each augmentee to perform two evaluations and pass both. "(The program) gets people back in the books, refocused and re-centered on doing the job safely and by the book to prevent accidents and mishaps," added Chief Miller. As a result of their preparation, the MXG had eight outstanding performers and the Quality Assurance office was rated outstanding. The MSG had eleven outstanding performers, with the Logistics Readiness Squadron receiving an outstanding rating. "The inspection was great, and we need to be happy with the rating we received," concluded the Chief. "We've come a long way since our Expeditionary Operational Readiness Inspection in April. We really did great." *The results of the inspection were released by AMC but are not yet official.