90th Missile Wing Nuclear Surety Inspection

If true, this is discouraging. http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/12/air-force-flunk.html

If I were a senior Air Force leader, I’m more than quietly concerned:

· Do the nuclear wings think they can pass an inspection? Or have they become psyched out and lost their mojo? When everyone around you is failing, you start to wonder if you can pass yourself.
· The accuracy of past inspections. Or did the wings somehow suddenly become clueless and awful starting with the Minot/Barksdale B-52 incident?
· The efficacy of the self-inspection program. The wings know what they’re going to be inspected on and exactly what checklists inspectors will be running…right?
· Corporate knowledge and “putting in the hours.” How many leaders remember the grim but necessary near-continuous cycle of inspection prep, inspections, and major activities (code change, revision change, competitions, etc.)?
· How bad might things get when the inspection cycle goes to a no-notice format?
· Will the inspectors themselves become burned-out and discouraged?
· How grim will things get (see referenced loss of mojo above) if wings start failing their re-checks? Who is on the bench to step in for relieved group and wing commanders?

Yikes.