62nd Airlift Wing passes nuclear inspection - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

62nd Airlift Wing passes nuclear inspection

The 62nd Airlift Wing — the nation’s primary nuclear airlift force, based at McChord Air Force Base, Wash. — passed its Defense Nuclear Surety Inspection on Jan. 7 after a weeklong review by Air Mobility Command inspectors.

It is the first successful nuclear inspection the Air Force has made public since two missile wings in Air Force Space Command failed their Nuclear Surety Inspections in November and December. The two NSI failures ended a year in which the Air Force saw at least five units fail their NSIs for only the fourth time since 1992, according to the Defense Department Task Force on Nuclear Weapons Management.

Following the recent failures, 62nd Airlift Wing Commander Col. Jeffrey Stephenson said he was “elated not only for the Air Force but also my airmen” that AMC inspectors issued his wing an overall grade of “satisfactory” — the highest possible score — to the wing.

Aircrews from the 4th Airlift Squadron — which is part of the 62nd — are the only ones tasked to transport Air Force nuclear warheads aboard C-17 Globemasters, said Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists.

But AMC inspectors examined the entire wing — not just the 4th — because it provides support to the squadron. Mission aspects such as the Personnel Reliability Program, selection and preparation of the C-17s and command post operations were all reviewed, according to a wing press release.

“It’s nice to be recognized for doing a good job,” said Maj. Jeffrey Meyers, the 4th AS PNAF flight commander. “As the PNAF unit in the Air Force, it is a responsibility the wing and the nuclear surety office take very seriously. Wing leadership has made it clear: Perfection is the standard.”

Inspectors from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the Air Force Inspection Agency and U.S. Strategic Command joined the Air Mobility Command Inspector General inspection team.