United States Army
Basic Training Operating Instructions
Inspections
1. References: BCT POI 21-114, Annex L.
2. Inspection 1 (IN1) is conducted at the platoon level by the platoon sergeant and drill sergeants.
3. IN2 (BDUs) is conducted by the Commander and/or XO and/or 1SG. When the inspector stands in front of the soldier, the soldier will report: “Sir/1SG, Rank, Name, MOS, Home Town and State.” The inspector may then ask a Phase I knowledge question while inspecting the soldier’s uniform, bed, footgear and wardrobe/3 drawer chest layout.
4. IN3 (BDUs) is conducted by the Commander and/or XO and/or 1SG. When the inspector stands in front of the soldier, the soldier will execute an inspection arms and report: “Sir/1SG, Rank, Name, MOS, Home Town and State.” The inspector will then inspect the weapon for overall cleanliness and serviceability.
5. IN4A is a working inspection conducted by the company commander on Sunday afternoon the day before the 4B inspection. Do not disrupt recovery operations; walk around and check progress, adjusting the recovery focus as required. IN4B (Class A uniform) is conducted by the Battalion Commander and/or Executive Officer and/or Battalion Command Sergeant Major. Confirm what will be inspected the week before the inspection and ensure the platoon layouts are uniform throughout the company. When the inspector stands in front of the soldier, the soldier will report: “Sir/CSM, Rank, Name, MOS, Home Town and State.” The inspector will then inspect the soldier’s uniform, weapon, TA-50, wardrobe, bunk, footgear, 3 drawer chest, and military knowledge. See Company Standard Layout in Appendix 1. The platoon sergeant and another drill sergeant will follow the inspector and note all deficiencies.
a. Normally this inspection is in the morning 0900.
b. In the afternoon (or the next day), the BN XO will conduct the “Go To War” Inspection with the Supply SGT, CO XO, and 1 DS per PLT. Uniform is BDUs. The XO will inspect:
(1) All vehicles for cleanliness and serviceability.
(2) All unassigned and crew served weapons, radios and other communication equipment in the arms room with corresponding 2404s.
(3) All training aids for cleanliness and serviceability. All unserviceable training aids that have not yet been turned in will have a tag identifying the shortcoming. The PLTs will lay out the training aids in the company classroom. See Layout in Appendix 2.
6. The standard for these inspections are cleanliness and serviceability. No excessive means such as drills will be used to clean weapons to prepare for the inspection. Only CLP will be used to clean weapons.
7. The Company Standard Layout is in Appendix 1.
8. "Personal Drawers" are not locked for inspections - they are not a secret hiding place. Personal photos in wall lockers are acceptable for inspection.
Note: These Operating Instructions were derived from a set of SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for a United States Army Infantry Basic Training Battalion. While SOPs might differ somewhat from batallion to batallion, it should give a basic idea of the instructions that Drill Sergeants and basic training staff members operate under.
