ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga -- Lt. Gen. Charles Stenner, Commander of the Air Force Reserve Command, signed a memo recently authorizing Participating Individual Ready Reserve members to enter paid status as Individual Mobilization Augmentees in order to meet AFRC fiscal year 2009 end-strength goals.
Some members currently in the PIRR are former IMAs who lost their positions in 2007 when approximately 5,000 IMA slots were unfunded during a reduction of 7,700 AFRC manpower authorizations. This Program Budget Decision 720 initiative helped pay for force modernization. Senior AFRC leaders worked closely with regular Air Force major commands to make tough decisions while maintaining mission capability.
In 2007, Air Force leaders decided to increase Air Force end strength. Consequently, AFRC recently was authorized to add approximately 4,200 positions for new, emerging and critical missions. Of those authorizations, approximately 800 are IMA positions.
Current PIRR members are being given preference in filling these IMA billets. A PIRR member can also be assigned as an overage in an IMA billet if a primary billet is not available or can be assigned against a "pseudo" billet. The overage position is authorized for only two years from date of assignment, so members should still be looking for a primary billet during the two-year period.
This program does not apply to colonels, chief master sergeants, academy liaison officers or Civil Air Patrol members.
For more information contact the respective program manger or base IMA administrator.