McChord Air Force Base's 62nd Airlift Wing received the highest possible grade for its nuclear mission at the end of a nearly week-long inspection, the base announced Monday.

The wing received a grade of "satisfactory," according to a news release. The 62nd has a squadron that's known as the nation's Primary Nuclear Airlift Force, which means McChord's C-17 cargo planes carry atomic weapons from one base to another as they move troops and equipment in and out of overseas hot spots.

"These results underscore our commitment to the American people in our ability to conduct our number one no-fail mission," wing commander Col. Jeffrey Stephenson said in the release. "No mission is more important than safeguarding our vital nuclear capabilities and maintaining nuclear deterrence."

The inspection, conducted by the Air Mobility Command Inspector General Team, started Wednesday and ended Monday. McChord's last inspection occurred in September 2007.

The importance of the Air Force's overall nuclear mission was highlighted in September when a report by a Pentagon task force concluded that the service had neglected its stewardship of such weapons for more than a decade.

The top civilian and military leaders of the Air Force were purged last year, and at least six Air Force and two Army generals faced potentially career-ending punishment, after the discovery that four fuses used to trigger nuclear missiles had been mistakenly shipped to Taiwan in 2006.

That disclosure followed a 2007 incident in which six nuclear warheads were accidentally flown from North Dakota to Louisiana strapped under a B-52.

No McChord planes, pilots or commanders were involved in those incidents.