THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1775
Headquarters
Department of the Army
Washington, DC
1 November 2023

*Army Regulation 1–201

Effective 1 December 2023

Administration

Army Inspection Policy

By Order of the Secretary of the Army:

RANDY A. GEORGE

General, United States Army

Chief of Staff

MARK F. AVERILL

Administrative Assistant to the

Secretary of the Army

History. This publication is a major revision.

Authorities. The authority for this regulation is Section 7020, Title 10 United States Code.

Applicability. This regulation applies to the Regular Army, the Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States, and the U.S. Army Reserve, unless otherwise stated. During mobilization, only the policy proponent may modify the provisions of this regulation. This regulation does not apply to those compliance inspections of chemical, biological, and nuclear operations and activities that are described in AR 20–1 and governed by the 50-series and other Army standards.

Proponent and exception authority. The proponent of this regulation is The Inspector General. The proponent has the authority to approve exceptions or waivers to this regulation that are consistent with controlling law and regulations. The proponent may delegate this approval authority, in writing, to a division chief within the proponent agency or its direct reporting unit or field operating agency, in the grade of colonel or the civilian equivalent. Activities may request a waiver to this regulation by providing justification that includes a full analysis of the expected benefits and must include formal review by the activity's senior legal officer. All waiver requests will be endorsed by the commander or senior leader of the requesting activity and forwarded through their higher headquarters to the policy proponent. Refer to AR 25–30 for specific requirements.

Army internal control process. This regulation contains internal control provisions in accordance with AR 11–2 and identifies key internal controls that must be evaluated (see appendix B).

Suggested improvements. Users are invited to send comments or suggested improvements on DA FormDA FormDepartment of the Army form 2028 (Recommended Changes to Publications and Blank Forms) via email to: usarmy.belvoir.usaignet.mbx.tigs-instructors@army.mil.

Distribution. This regulation is available in electronic media only and is intended for the Regular Army, the Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States, and the U.S. Army Reserve.

*This regulation supersedes AR 1–201, dated 25 February 2015. AD 2023–15, dated 22 September 2023, is rescinded upon publication of this AR.

AR 1–201 • 1 November 2023

UNCLASSIFIED

Audit The independent appraisal activity within the Army for the review of financial, accounting, and other oper- ations as a basis for protective and constructive service to command and management at all levels.

Command inspection An inspection of an organization conducted by a commander or supervisor of the inspected activity. Com- mand inspections are compliance-oriented and are designed to determine the status of an organization’s adherence to established law, regulations, policies, procedures, and directives. See the definition of com- pliance inspection.

Compliance inspection An inspection that focuses solely on a unit’s or organization’s compliance with a specified standard or se- ries of standards. This inspection approach presumes that the established standards are correct but does not preclude the inspector from determining the root causes of non-compliance—even if those root causes are matters that exceed the unit’s or organization’s ability to correct at the local level. Command and staff inspections are generally compliance inspections by nature.

Follow-up inspection An inspection of the action taken to correct deficiencies found during a previous inspection. Its aim is to assess whether the corrective action is effective and complete; is producing the desired results; is not causing new problems; and is economical, efficient, practical, and feasible.

IG inspection An inspection that focuses on the identification of problems, the determination of their root causes, the development of possible solutions, and the assignment of responsibilities for correcting the problems. In- spectors general normally conduct special inspections of systemic issues that affect a particular functional area such as logistics, personnel, maintenance, training, and so forth. The IG’s commander approves the scope and content of all IG inspections. Inspectors general generally do not perform compliance-oriented general inspections of units, organizations, and activities but instead defer those inspections to com- manders.

Organizational inspection program (OIP) A comprehensive, written plan that addresses all inspections and audits conducted by the command/pro- gram/directorate and its subordinate elements as well as those inspections and audits scheduled by out- side agencies. The purpose of the OIP is to coordinate inspections and audits into a single, cohesive, well-synchronized program focused on command objectives in order to identify, prevent, and eliminate problem areas. Command Inspection Programs, Staff Inspection Programs, SAVs, IG Inspection Pro- grams, audits, external inspections, and other assessment or evaluation mechanisms are all sub-compo- nents that comprise the broader OIP.

Readiness assistance visit (RAV) An IG teaching and training program that assists units in both the operating and generating force in re- establishing, managing, and inspecting their own internal readiness posture.

Staff assistance visit (SAV) A visit by staff members of a particular staff section designed to assist, teach, and train subordinate staff sections on how to meet the standards required to operate effectively within a particular functional area.

Staff inspection An inspection, other than a command or IG inspection, conducted by staff principals or members respon- sible for the functional area being inspected. See the definition of compliance inspection.