Redesigning the Army's Individual Mobilization Augmentee Program

The Army s Individual Mobilization Augmentee Program IMA supports active component units with trained, specialized Soldiers in unique career broadening and joint assignments not found in troop program units. Currently, this program lacks effective, unified leadership leaving IMA Soldiers without clear career guidance, leading to a program that is under-filled and under-utilized. This paper explores this IMA program from its origins, links to the national strategic vision, and current status of the Army s IMA program in contrast to other services and recommends courses of action for program redesign and policy, funding, and management changes. IMA program issues are symptoms that the vision of an operational reserve has not been cemented into the culture of the Army. Clear management and measurement efforts will foster cultural change. A fully utilized and valued IMA program is a measure of progress in the culture. Other topics that enhance this culture change present opportunities for future research. Enhancing interoperability between active and reserve components will inculcate the vision of an operational reserve force into the culture necessary for a ready force of the future.