Godwin reporting for duty, ready for inspections

  • Published
  • By Raquel March
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TENN. --  Bradford Godwin, the new AEDC director of Inspections, arrived at the Complex in December ready to lend his experience in keeping Arnold Air Force Base operating at peak efficiency.

As the director of Inspections, Godwin is responsible for providing leadership an overview of organizational health along with an analysis of where to focus limited resources based on trends that allow ongoing progress at AEDC to effectively deliver core capabilities.

"The mission of the Inspector General office is to enable and strengthen the Commanders' mission effectiveness and efficiency," Godwin said. "We accomplish this by promoting a culture of continuous improvement and military discipline while improving individual unit performance both up and down the chain of command. We also assist leadership in identifying issues that could interfere with readiness, economy, efficiency, discipline, compliance, performance, surety and management excellence."

Planning and executing the inspection program is conducted through exercises and inspections. Godwin and the IG staff have set in motion a process for achieving the mission of the Office of Inspector General.

"I believe for Air Force Inspection System and the Commander's Inspection Program to be successful at AEDC it must start with fostering a culture of critical self-assessment," Godwin said. "This means placing responsibility of programs back in the hands of the program owners. Accomplishing this task will require a trust between unit leadership, the workforce, and the IG with a shared goal of improving efficiency and effectiveness at AEDC.

"In January we began moving toward this common goal by establishing trained self-assessment mangers (SAPMs) in each division to assist members in identifying areas of concern within their programs. While the program is still in it's infancy at AEDC, I have been impressed with how people have reported honestly on whether or not they comply with directives and informed their supervisors when they cannot comply."
Godwin retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2015 as senior master sergeant. At that time he was the Superintendent of Wing Inspections for the 557th Weather Wing, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.

A native of Vicksburg, Miss., Godwin and his family are settling into Tennessee life and weather.

"Moving from Nebraska to Tennessee was not a hard decision for the family - ever been in a Midwest winter storm?" Godwin said. "While there is always a certain level of uncertainty in moving, the benefits of relocating to this area well outweighed any negatives we could find. The 10th of February marked two months in the area and we have already made several friends, found a church and the children are making friends."

Since Godwin and his wife Amy have family close to Arnold, he said, "Being able to relocate to this area was a blessing for our family as it puts us near family and allows us to enjoy the outdoors together."

Son Andrew, age 16; daughter Anna, age 12; and Quincy, an English springer spaniel, complete the Godwin family.

Godwin began his Air Force career in 1991 as a weather observer and has served as a weather technician at the flight, squadron, wing and field operating agency level. His assignments included bases in Illinois, Mississippi, Georgia, Germany, Nebraska and Turkey. He also deployed in support of Operation Southern Watch, Operation Northern Watch, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

-AEDC-