On Nov. 1, 2023, a revision to Army Regulation 1-201, Army Inspections Policy, restored subsequent command inspections to improve readiness. Instead of just one initial inspection, follow-up inspections will also be conducted one year after a commander takes command of a unit. The effective date of the change was Dec. 1, 2023, which applies to units across all components. Most notably, the revision to the regulation improves the Organizational Inspection Program.
“The revision to (AR 1-201) will bring back the requirement for battalion and brigade commanders to conduct subsequent command inspections of their subordinate units. A crucial tenet of any effective inspection program is follow-up.” - Lt. Gen. Donna W. Martin, The Inspector General
“Army Regulation 1-201, Army Inspection Policy, provides the information commanders require to establish an effective Organizational Inspection Program,” said Lt. Gen. Donna W. Martin, the Army’s inspector general. “The revision to the regulation will bring back the requirement for battalion and brigade commanders to conduct subsequent command inspections of their subordinate units. A crucial tenet of any effective inspection program is follow-up.”
During the initial command inspection, incoming commanders are made aware of and given the opportunity to address unit deficiencies. The subsequent command inspection is the method by which commanders ensure noted deficiencies are corrected. Restoring subsequent command inspections reinforces the Army’s priority of readiness across the total force.
Mr. William E. Jenkins, the principal deputy to the inspector general for inspections, said, “The overarching purpose behind these major changes is to reinvigorate the culture of inspections throughout Army.”
The Organizational Inspection Program is a mandatory command program for all battalion-level and higher units across the Army. The principal goal is to provide units with an internal mechanism to identify, prevent and correct problem areas affecting unit readiness. Inspections of subordinate units focus on readiness topics determined by the higher-level commander. For instance, an infantry battalion may focus on inspecting arms rooms and training calendars, but a logistics unit might inspect supply order accuracy and warehouse inventories.
“A solid, effective program, through inspection results, is identifying, eliminating and preventing problem areas,” Jenkins said.
Subsequent command inspections are critical to a successful program, providing a follow-up to initial command inspections. The subsequent command inspections were removed in 2018 to lessen the burden on battalion and brigade commanders. Army inspectors general noted that the lack of subsequent command inspections became an impediment to readiness, so they were restored in Army Directive 2023-15 in September 2023, ahead of the publication of AR 1-201.
“The result of restoring subsequent command inspections should bump up readiness,” said Dr. Stephen Rusiecki, dean of academics at the Inspector General School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. “The unit must do the work so they are able to inspect themselves regularly to identify and resolve issues. The Army Regulation 1-201 (Army Inspection Policy) supersedes AR 20-1.”
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