ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 97th Air Mobility Wing underwent a Unit Effectiveness Inspection from June 2 to June 6, 2025, conducted by 68 inspectors from the Air Education and Training Command Inspector General team.
The UEI assesses a unit’s readiness and performance across four Major Graded Areas: executing the mission, leading people, managing resources, and improving the unit.
“The wing put in a lot of effort and showed up very well prepared for the UEI,” said Lt. Col. Matthew Tucker, 97th AMW inspector general. “Altus’ Airmen came together to ensure a seamless visit - from volunteers to setup the community center as workspaces, having double communication experts on-hand all week to trouble-shoot any connectivity or tech issues in-person, to commanders and individual offices remaining constantly available for interviews.”
Tucker mentioned that the wing was extremely helpful in collecting more than 500 deliverable items requested by AETC IG in the six months leading up to the UEI.
Altus AFB was the first AETC base to conduct a combined UEI and Combat Readiness Inspection, which featured a mock deployment line, tabletop exercise to assess the unit’s combat readiness, and more.
“I lost absolutely no sleep nor had any regrets about how our team performed during the week long UEI/CRI,” said Tucker. “Every single person should be proud of the time and energy that went into getting ready for the capstone event. When the UEI team departs saying Altus is the place they would want to send their sons and daughters if they were in the Air Force, it’s easy to be proud of the people here and the work we do every day.”
Over the five-day inspection, inspectors identified areas for improvement for the Wing to address within the next month. Despite these findings, the Wing earned “Effective” or higher ratings in all 22 evaluated categories, highlighting its strong commitment to the mission and Airmen of the Mighty 97th.
“Earning an ‘Effective’ rating in the UEI is a testament to the relentless dedication of every Airman across the wing,” said Col. Jeff Marshall, 97th Air Mobility Wing commander. “This achievement reflects our collective commitment to excellence, not just in mission execution, but in culture and climate across the wing as well. I couldn’t be more proud of how our team came together to demonstrate what right looks like.”