NATO OPEVAL: Sabers soar

  • Published
  • By Master Sgts. George King and Marcus Thomas
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Inspections Office
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, GERMANY --  The 52nd Fighter Wing participated in the much anticipated North Atlantic Treaty Organizations Operations Evaluation Inspection June 4-7. From STARTEX though ENDEX, there were 55 hours of nonstop action. 

An aggressive and intense training schedule involving multiple exercises over the past six months prepared the men and women throughout the 52nd Fighter Wing. NATO Team Chief Lt. Col. Peter Strijker out-briefed the inspection results to approximately 300 wing personnel at the base theater June 8. He explained the NATO grading criteria which is a four-point grading scale: Excellent, Satisfactory, Marginal and Unsatisfactory, whereas its U.S. Air Force counterpart (Inspector General) has a five-point grading scale: Outstanding, Excellent, Satisfactory, Marginal and Unsatisfactory. 

The inspection consisted of two parts: Resources, items the wing needs to bring to the fight, and Employment, how the wing conducts war-time missions. The grade for Resources is combined from the three evaluated areas; Operations, Logistics and Force Protection. The Operations area received a "Satisfactory" rating, Logistics received an "Excellent" and Force Protection received a "Satisfactory" for a combined Resources grade of "Satisfactory." The second part of the evaluation is the Employment inspection. 

Each area is graded separately and then combined with the Resources grade for an overall grade. For the Employment portion, Operations, Logistics and Force Protection all received the grade of "Satisfactory" with no less than 22 of the evaluated areas being graded as "Excellent." The combined grades from the Resources and Employment evaluation earned the 52nd FW an overall "Satisfactory" with a fully-mission capable rating according to NATO standards. 

Colonel Strijker complimented the men and women of the wing for the high degree of proficiency, professionalism and morale they displayed during the inspection. 

Col. Darryl Roberson, 52nd FW commander, credits the inspection results to dedication and hard work from the men and women of the 52nd FW. 

"Across the wing, every person contributed to our great success," Colonel Roberson said. "In the past year, Sabers have been working long hours, maintaining hectic schedules and participating in base exercises preparing for this, and our Satisfactory rating is a reflection of the dedication and hard work. For me, these successes are personal and memorable milestones in my career."