Readiness Management Group inactivates

Published July 2, 2014
By Capt Candice Allen
Readiness Management Group Public Affairs

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Air Force Reserve Command's Readiness Management Group held its inactivation ceremony here July 1.

The RMG was created in April 2005 to centrally manage individual mobilization augumentees. According to the AFRC commander at the time, now retired Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, the goal of the organization was to ensure that the reservists in the program were ready to support the Global War on Terrorism.

"Today is truly bittersweet," said Col. Dawn M. Wallace, RMG commander. "When I took command, we established several focus areas: readiness and end-strength, partnerships, standardization, meaningful metrics, leveraging information technology platforms, and outreach. Collectively, you've hit the mark on each of these. One of the focus areas I'm most passionate about has been our outreach and use of videos, ARCNet messages, our website and Facebook."

Since its inception, the group increased the visibility of the Individual Reserve program, centralized IR advocacy, improved MAJCOM/COCOM partnerships and infused IR tenants through Air Force policies. The group, with 170-plus members, took IR participation readiness from 9 percent in 2005 to 82 percent at the end of fiscal year 2013. Moreover, it has consistently maintained a 97-percent mobilization rate.

Lt. Gen. James F. Jackson, chief of Air Force Reserve and AFRC commander, presided over the ceremony as members of the group retired the RMG guidon.

"The inactivation became a reality when the flag was encased," said Senior Master Sgt. Candy Green, superintendent of RMG Detachment 16 that serves the IMA population in Air Force Global Strike Command units.

Green is one of a handful of RMG members who have been with the organization since its inception.

"This ceremony was very emotional," she said. "I saw this birth and saw it end."

The Air Force Reserve is consolidating personnel transactional work from the MAJCOM A1 staff to the Air Reserve Personnel Center, Buckley AFB, Colo., in accordance with the A1 Transformation directives. However, not everything the RMG accomplishes could be incorporated in the move to ARPC, so the Individual Reservist Readiness and Integration Organization was established.

RIO was activated Feb. 1, 2014, at Buckley AFB as a subordinate organization in ARPC. When fully operational, it will integrate Air Force Reserve individual reservists into active-duty units to meet Air Force and combatant commander requirements.

"This was a deliberate transition to ensure it was as seamless as possible for our Individual Reservists," Wallace said.

Retired Col. Roxane (Towner) Barker, who attended the inactivation ceremony, was the first commander of the RMG and led the group for two years.

"Balancing the integration of the individual reservist into active duty units while creating the administrative construct within AFRC presented challenges at every turn," Barker said. "The Airmen assigned to the RMG rose to the challenge and exceeded everyone's expectation."

"It was amazing to be part of the historical effort at the beginning and end," Barker said.

Though the name of the organization may change, the IR program remains a priority for AFRC.

"As the RMG, we had a good mission and purpose, we achieved our mission, and because of the solid foundation we've built, our hard work will endure as the responsibilities are transferred to RIO," said Wallace at the ceremony.

"And at the end of the day, what truly matters, and what we will remember the most, is our people," she said.

RMG inactivation