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Whiteman prepares for readiness inspection

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jason Barebo
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  Team Whiteman recently completed exercise SPIRIT FORCE 09-5, their last Nuclear Operational Readiness Exercise for the year. In less than 10 days, members of the Air Combat Command Inspector General Team will arrive to conduct a Nuclear Operational Readiness Inspection.

"NORI's are the primary way that the 509th Bomb Wing is inspected," said Brig. Gen. Robert Wheeler, 509th Bomb Wing commander. "A lot of our people have done a lot of hard work and I'm proud of their sacrifice and of their attention to the small details that mean so much during inspections like the NORI."

A NORI will inspect a wing on their operational effectiveness in combat to conduct the strategic mission.

"All members of Team Whiteman have really come together during our prep efforts," General Wheeler said. "This inspection is an historic opportunity for the 509th Bomb Wing. Not only is this the culmination of many months of effort and perseverance by members of the 509th - it's also a great opportunity to showcase our Total Force Integration."

This NORI will include Active Duty and Guard members of the 131st Bomb Wing working side-by-side, often even in the same airplane.

"We are proud not only of the mission of the B-2; we are also extremely proud of the heritage of excellence that every person involved brings to the fight," General Wheeler said.

Exercises and Inspections alike are outstanding opportunities for the entire wing - Active Duty, retired, dependents, civilians and contractors alike - to show their vigilance and teamwork as part of Team Whiteman. For example, when Force Protection measures change, vehicles may need to be moved away from buildings while their entrances will be controlled through increased security measures.

"Just like when pilots practice flying combat missions, we all need to train like we fight," said Maj Dave Thompson, 131st Bomb Wing Chief of Wing Plans and assistant Wing Plans Chief for the 509th Bomb Wing. "This same mentality applies to the entire base population."

During the NORI, people will be asked to show their ID, park in a distant location or some other inconvenience. "Just remember," Major Thompson said, "you never really know when it's a real world situation or a training situation.

The motivation behind Air Force exercises and the inspections is to train like we fight and to show the IG exactly how capable Team Whiteman is at completing the mission, according to Major Thompson.

"Every time we rehearse the strategic mission, we are conducting an operational mission of deterrence. We as a nation are fighting two wars: the first is our Overseas Contingency Operations the other is the one we are trying to prevent. If we fail in either then our children may not have the same level of choices which we have and enjoy as Americans. Both missions are equally critical to our nation. We are stewards of a critical strategic capability and this is a zero-defect mission. We owe no less to our nation. We need everyone's focus."