Conference prepares reservists to embrace program changes

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Hien Q. Vu
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Edwards' Individual Mobilization Augmentee Program Update Conference was held here Feb. 23 and Saturday to inform reservists of upcoming changes to the Reserve and keep them abreast of duty requirements. 

The event was attended by more than 50 reservists assigned to various organizations at Edwards. 

The conference focused on the Program Budget Directive 720 bill to be implemented by the Air Force Reserve Command beginning October as part of the Air Force recapitalization and modernization efforts. As a result, both the IMA and unit reservist programs will undergo transformation. 

The Air Force Materiel Command will only retain 549 of its 1,990 IMAs, reduced by about 72 percent. 

"Edwards is projected to retain 29 members at the Air Force Flight Test Center, down from the current 130," said Brig. Gen. James Hogue, Air Force Flight Test Center Mobilization Assistant to the Commander. "In addition, Air Force Research Lab will retain only 74 of its 170 IMAs." 

Impact on Edwards' IMAs will mostly be felt by those in Category B, which currently receive compensation, such as pay and travel reimbursements, as well as points toward retirement for performing their annual tours of duty and inactive duty for training. 

Under PBD 720, many Category B IMAs may choose to continue to serve under a different program, similar to Category E. 

The new category IMAs "perform inactive duty for training for retirement points only," said Cindy Phillips, AFFTC Reserve Program officer. "However, they may also perform [Military Personnel Appropriation] tours for pay and points."

The MPA program is an active duty program whose funding for the reservists comes from the individual units.

Approximately 350 Security Forces and 45 Fire Protection IMAs will be excluded from the field priority list that determined what positions to be cut, Ms. Phillips said. 

"These reservists will be funded with MPA days to be able to continue with their critical missions under the new category," she said 

As the IMA service is needed more than before, more MPA days will be used, said Ms. Phillips. "We have seen a steady increase of MPA days across the base. IMAs provide needed support in many critical areas, such as the ORE [Operational Readiness Exercise] and ORI [Operational Readiness Inspection] preparation, IG [Inspector General] augmentation, Open House and Air Show, engineering support, and test acceleration, among many others." In 2006, approximately 2,600 MPA days were used. 

It is crucial that IMAs become more actively involved with their units on several fronts, said General Hogue. "As an integral part of the Air Force, IMAs have proven and will continue to show we are relevant to the fight through our actions, from staying fit and ready for deployment to volunteering for deployment opportunities." 

To maintain their currency, conference participants received refresher training in the orders system, administrative tasking, deployment readiness, healthcare, and education opportunities. 

They were also introduced to the new Virtual Personnel Center - Guard/Reserve, a Web-based tool to conduct personal transactions and access information from home. Available services include duty history review, change and update request, and retirement application, in addition to award and decoration recommendations. 

"By April 2, our IMA should establish their vPC-GR accounts to further synchronize Edwards' reserve program seamlessly with our modern Air Force," General Hogue said. 

The conference was helpful and informative, said Staff Sgt. Mishaffner Jones, IMA for 95th Medical Group. 

"This is my second conference, and, like the first one, it offers a tremendous wealth of useful information, especially with the upcoming changes in budget and mandates," Sergeant Jones said. "The conference has helped me with my decision making, as well as given me a chance to interact with other IMAs. 

"It is a bonding experience," the sergeant said.