Pick up a copy of the Northwest Airlifter, the on-base newspaper for McChord Air Force Base, and it was unavoidable: a countdown to the start of the Nuclear Surety Inspection.

Clearly, the inspection was a big deal.

“It’s not just a big deal at McChord,” said Col. Jeffrey Stephenson, the commander of the 62nd Airlift Wing, a day after the base passed its inspection. “This is – no kidding – our No. 1 mission. It’s a no-fail mission, because anytime you deal with nuclear materials in any form or fashion, it’s not just of national interest. It’s of international interest.”

The 4th Airlift Squadron is responsible for transporting the military’s nuclear weapons, and two other units have failed inspection in recent months.

The inspection by the Air Mobility Command Inspector General Team, which began Wednesday and concluded Monday, was rigorous, Stephenson said.

“They ask if the airmen are mentally, physically and emotionally prepared for the mission,” he said. “ Do they know the processes? Do they know the procedures? Are there self-inspection books (in order)? They have their own checklist to make sure their programs are uptight and their procedures are followed to a T.”

The inspection results could be viewed as a slumpbuster for the Air Force, which has suffered a string of embarrassments over the handling of nuclear weapons.

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If you like hunting and recently were PCSed to Washington, a bill might have you staring down Bambi sooner than before.

State Sen. Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla, introduced legislation that would waive the requirement of completing a hunter safety course before purchasing a hunting license for active-duty military -- like Ol'Teddy Roosevelt (pictured right), himself no stranger to hunting and the military -- and any reservists or National Guardsmen called to active duty.

“If anyone is skilled at things like the handling of firearms, it’s members of our military,” Hewitt said in a release. “It doesn’t make sense to force them to sit through a course to learn something they already know.”

Full press release below:

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The sad case of Sgt. Joshua Barber, the Fort Lewis soldier who shot himself in the parking lot of Madigan Army Medical Center, appears in USA Today.

(Barber's case was the subject of the main story of our package on soldier suicide we ran in November.)