CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Members of the 437th and 315th Airlift Wings scored satisfactory during the Logistics Standardization and Evaluation Program inspections held on base from Sept. 10 to 14.
The LSEP team is based out of Headquarters Air Mobility Command at Scott AFB, Ill. This 50-person team is comprised of Airmen from other AMC bases including McGuire AFB, N.J., Hickam AFB, Hawaii, Travis AFB, Calif., Ramstein AB, Germany, McChord AFB, Wash., Yokota AB, Japan, Robins AFB, Ga., Grand Forks AFB, N.D., and Dover AFB, Del.
The mission of the LSEP is to make sure the 437 and 315 AWs complete the mission in a safe, well-trained, and technically competent manner that increases professional excellence and personal responsibility in Airmen according to the goals set by the secretary of the Air Force.
The inspections began at noon Sept. 10 and were held 24 hours a day until 2 p.m. Sept. 14. During these inspections, Charleston Airmen went through evaluations of peacetime operations, over-the-shoulder personal evaluations, after-the-fact quality verification inspections and special inspections of vehicles, equipment and documentation.
While at Charleston, the team performed 1,066 task evaluations and observations -- 586 in the 437th and 315th Maintenance Group and 480 in the 437th Mission Support Group.
"We evaluated the Airmen in the maintenance and mission support groups as they performed their everyday duties," said Chief Master Sgt. Steve Ferrell, HQ AMC LSEP superintendent. "This was an impressive group of professional Airmen. They were motivated and did a great job at making corrections on the spot."
LSEP is a task-evaluation assessment that scores and rates areas as outstanding, excellent, satisfactory, marginal or unsatisfactory.
The final outbrief on Monday in the Charleston Club released the official results of the LSEP. Feedback was received on the following functional areas that were inspected and evaluated: aircraft maintenance, maintenance training, aerial port, supply, fuels, vehicle management, vehicle operations and the traffic management office.
The results are as follows:
315 and 437 AWs: Satisfactory
315 and 437 MXGs: Satisfactory
· Quality assurance: Outstanding
· Aircraft maintenance squadrons: Satisfactory
· Maintenance squadrons: Excellent
437 MSG: Excellent
· 437th Aerial Port Squadron: Excellent
· 437th Logistics Readiness Squadron: Excellent
Some strengths recognized by the team include professionalism, motivation, technical proficiency, teamwork and training.
"In the past, the LSEP was perceived as a relatively easy inspection where most units received a rating of excellent or outstanding," said Chief Ferrell. "Today, the majority of AMC units attain a satisfactory rating, and the 'easy inspection' perception is a thing of the past. About 65 to 70 percent of units earn a rating in the satisfactory category."
Charleston AFB scored satisfactory and above on all areas that were inspected and observed by the team. If there had been any scores in the marginal or unsatisfactory area, the LSEP team would've needed to return in 60 days to conduct a follow-up inspection on those areas.
"In my three-and-a-half years of doing this, no base has ever failed," said Chief Ferrell. "I think Charleston was well-prepared for this event; they were top-notch. I actually think they improved themselves more with their preparation for us coming than with the advice we gave them during the inspections."
While the team was at Charleston AFB, they selected several members as outstanding performers. These individuals were observed by the team as excellent above their peers and a great contribution to accomplishing the mission.
The following individuals were named outstanding performers and presented a certificate and coin by Col. John Douglas, HQ AMC LSEP team chief:
315th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron: Staff Sgt. Carlton Coley, Senior Airman Jeremiah Johnson
437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron: Senior Airman Lane McCoppin, Airman 1st Class Edward Henry
437 APS: Tech. Sgt. Matthew Perkins, Staff Sgts. John Busco, Frank Douglass and Richard Nedrow, Senior Airmen Veronica Anderson, Jared Brown and Logan Huston, Airmen 1st Class Christopher Cozart and Christopher Spencer, and Kevin Fitchko
437 LRS: Tech. Sgts. William Baros and Chester Greenhalgh, Staff Sgts. Neka Best and Lakisha Gross, Senior Airmen Angelo McGee and Ryan Zitnick, Airmen 1st Class Richard Barie, Joseph Caprio and Carissa Nazzaro
437th Maintenance Squadron: Tech. Sgt. Rodney Koonce
437 MXG: Tech. Sgt. Mark O'Brian
437 MXS: Senior Airmen Gary Armstrong and Christopher Martin, Airmen 1st Class Jimmy White, Melody Williams and Timothy Womble, and James Ware
"This was my last inspection with the LSEP team," said Chief Ferrell whose next duty will be at Luke AFB, Ariz., as an aircraft maintenance unit chief. "I actually wanted to come to Charleston and I tried to get stationed here because it's a great place and the Airmen are exciting, motivated and they work really hard. It was great getting to come here to finish LSEP."
AMC bases get LSEP inspections every 20 months, and AMC en route bases get them every 18 months. Charleston AFB's last inspection was in January 2006.