BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, COLO. -- Headquarters Individual Reservist Readiness and Integration Organization (HQ RIO) hosted an Individual Reservist Orientation course at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, November 18-21.
Individual Reservists, also referred to as Individual Mobilization Augmentees (IMAs), contribute daily to the AF mission and are actively involved in AF operations around the world. This orientation course aims to provide new members to the IR program the tools they need to effectively manage their careers, and allow the Air Force to provide combat airpower for our joint forces.
“The IR Orientation is a three-day course affording IRs an opportunity to hear from experts covering topics that will assist them to be successful while serving in their Category B and/or Category E assignment,” said Senior Master Sgt. Jessica Montemayor, HQ RIO readiness and training superintendent.
During the course attendees receive more than 33 briefings on subjects such as travel pay, medical and retirements and are designed to give the IRs the tools they need to manage mandatory requirements. Attendees also learn how to maneuver through AF Reserve systems such ARCNet, UTAPS, AROWS-R and myPers.
Attendees also get the opportunity to hear from the HQ RIO staff and subject matter experts that process their personnel actions.
“One of the benefits of hosting the IROs at Buckley AFB is we are able to provide briefings straight from the SMEs at HQ ARPC and HQ RIO that manage the programs,” said Staff Sgt. Jean Munguia, HQ RIO readiness and training NCOIC. “After the briefings, the subject matter experts are available for questions and to take care of any issues the IRs may have. It’s also beneficial to provide tours of the facility so attendees have a better understanding of each section’s responsibilities as well as a chance to network with technicians.”
IR Orientation courses are held three times a year. The intended audience for this event are newly assigned IRs gained from RegAF, sister service or traditional reserve units and is limited to 80 attendees. Those who wish to attend must be in a school tour status, requested through AROWS-R. Annual tour or IDTs cannot be utilized for attendance.
For more information regarding the IR Orientation courses, visit the HQ RIO training website.