The Headquarters Individual Reservist Readiness and Integration Organization is located at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. Its mission is to provide, integrate and sustain ready Individual Reserve (IR) forces globally.
HQ RIO first opened its doors on Feb. 1, 2014, and began transitioning management of the IR program from the Readiness Management Group as part of Air Force-directed manpower transformation initiatives. HQ RIO was officially activated on Oct. 1, 2014.
The organization is responsible for managing the readiness of the IR force and standardizing the processes associated with getting our IRs to the fight. Seven detachments and seven operating locations at geographically-separated bases around the world assist the headquarters in this mission, providing direct oversight and support to more than 8,000 IR Airmen. The headquarters is located within the Air Reserve Personnel Center, where synergies are leveraged across the personnel and financial management functions.
Individual Reservists fall into two categories: Individual Mobilization Augmentees (IMAs), who participate for pay and points, and Participating Individual Ready Reservists (PIRRs), who participate for points only. Both IMAs and PIRRs augment active-component agencies throughout the Department of Defense and are rated by active-duty or government-agency supervisors.
The Individual Reserve dates back to 1947 when Lt. Gen. George E. Stratemeyer, the first Continental Air Command Commander, established the mobilization assignee program. Today, the IR program is a critical piece of the Total Force equation, with its Reserve Airmen supporting more than 50 major commands, combatant commands and government agencies around the world. The program provides the Department of Defense with a unique, cost-effective asset in the form of part-time, fully-qualified airmen who can augment an organization when needed and who bring with them unique skillsets from the civilian sector.
In order to be fully mobilization-ready, these Reservists must meet annual readiness, medical and dental requirements, have a current security clearance, and be fully-qualified in their Air Force Specialty – all of which is overseen by HQ RIO, its detachments and their operating locations.