IMA administrator visits Gunfighters

Published Aug. 21, 2007
By 1st Lt Heather L. Ogletree
366th Mission Support Squadron

MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho -- They wear the same uniform and perform similar duties but often follow different rules than most Air Force active duty members. Working on military bases for weeks at a stretch, the Air Force's individual mobilization augmentees, or IMAs, often lack direct contact with their leadership and support teams. In some cases, these people can feel cut off and alone when they rejoin the active duty corps during their annual tours.

It's something Master Sgt. Jonathan Hovda hopes to change.

Sergeant Hovda serves as the base IMA administrator, or BIMAA, for Mountain Home as well as Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and Beale Air Force Base, Calif. In April, he took charge of the IMA program for these bases and now manages 500 IMA Reservists from his home station at Nellis.

"The IMA program offers flexibility for military members looking to serve their country on a part-time basis while maintaining a deployable asset for their commanders," Sergeant Hovda said.

When he took charge of the program, the sergeant saw a need to improve IMA training and ensure base leaders and supervisors understood the capabilities these Reservists provide and their unique requirements. Wanting to spread the message here, Sergeant Hovda visited the base Aug. 14 and 15. He met with commanders, unit Reserve coordinators, commanders' support staffs and IMAs to answer their questions and give them basic tools to make the program here a success.

"As the BIMAA ... my duties include acting as a liaison between the IMA and our higher headquarters, administering career broadening programs and ensuring execution of the IMA mission for the 366th Fighter Wing commander," Sergeant Hovda said.

Like their active duty counterparts, IMAs need performance reports, go up for promotion boards, deploy overseas and face issues like force reduction cuts -- issues some active duty members don't always understand, according to the sergeant. Assigned to Air Force Reserve Command and serving on a part-time basis, some IMAs pull short tours of duty each year while others face extended ones.

Despite their annual tour length, IMAs must coordinate with their civilian and military counterparts to arrange their active duty orders and complete their required training. Lack of education previously caused problems when it came time for these augmentees to come on active duty.

Sergeant Hovda's proactive approach to the IMA program saw rapid benefits for people like Senior Master Sgt. Bradford Paslay, a Reservist currently serving as the 366th Security Forces Squadron operations superintendent.

"He's taking a proactive approach to the program, trying to ensure we have a well-oiled machine," Sergeant Paslay said. "I'm exited to have someone that is going to take care of my needs as an IMA. He has a willingness to help and resolve any issues that may occur. This is something I have not seen in the past."

This proactive push to educate active duty members on the augmentee program helps IMAs understand they're not all alone regardless of where they pull their annual duty, according to Sergeant Paslay, who serves as the 366th SFS unit Reserve coordinator when he's not pulling his IMA duties. These fresh ideas, combined with careful oversight of the program at places like Mountain Home, should make feelings of being cut off and alone a thing of the past for these Reservists, he added.

IMA administrator visits Gunfighters

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