341st Missile Wing commander issues statement on NSI results Published Aug. 13, 2013 By 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs Office staff MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- Below is an official statement from Col. Robert Stanley, 341st Missile Wing commander, after the wing's recent receipt of an 'unsatisfactory' rating following the Nuclear Surety Inspection conducted by the Air Force Global Strike Command Inspector General. "I wish I could openly describe the details of this inspection and its results to our community. But, to do that would give America's adversaries far too much information about how we operate. What I can say is that these inspections are as exacting a test as one can possibly imagine. They are a pass/fail test of enormous complexity. Imagine being in a college physics class, and working through five pages of calculations on a problem. But, you receive no credit if your answer is off by even a decimal. That is the nature of our job, and I wouldn't have it any other way. "This is the nation's most powerful weapon system. The problem is that nuclear weapons duty is so foreign to anyone who has never served in that mission area that they try to compare it to something they are familiar with. Even those who have served in conventional military units have a very hard time understanding our culture, and how exacting we are. In a conventional unit that deploys to a combat zone, they constantly are measured by battlefield victories and being under attack by an adversary. In nuclear weapons duty, we have to simulate that same kind of pressure by making our inspections so incredibly tough that it simulates a combat environment with real ramifications. This is why our Nuclear Surety Inspections are pass/fail. "In our inspection this past week, we were rated 'Outstanding' or 'Excellent' in 10 of 13 areas. In one, we earned a 'Satisfactory.' But, we were rated 'Unacceptable' in two related areas due to the same deficiency. As a result of our overall performance, there was no question about our capability to operate safely and with complete confidence. It does highlight an area in which we will be working closely to ensure some very young Airmen understand their roles and responsibilities much more clearly. We've already started that process. "We are about to show what this wing is made of. Our story is much larger than a singular event that didn't go as well as we demand under inspection; it's about an incredible number of superior performers who have truly earned the confidence of the American people. More importantly, they truly earn the fear and respect of our nation's adversaries every day. For the Nuclear Airmen of Malmstrom Air Force Base, I expect us to perform our day-to-day mission perfectly. Nothing is more important."