Saving Talent While Improving Lethality and Readiness

By CW3(P) Viktor Pejic, Aviation

April 1, 2026 | Warrant Officer Journal, April-June 2026 Edition

Read Time: < 5 mins

Image generated by Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) by Google

Change is the only true constant in the US Army. How the nation won past wars will not dictate how it wins future conflicts. The current Army Structure Memorandum 2028-2032 (ARSTRUC) introduces sweeping changes across all three components of the US Army. The elimination of all compo 3 rotary aviation assets and personnel is simple on paper. Replacing combat ready aviators when emergency arises is incredibly difficult due to the extensive training timeline. What if a viable solution exists to allow US Army Reserve (USAR) aviators to continue their service while simultaneously improving the lethality and readiness of compo 1? Integrating Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) positions into every active duty Combat Aviation Brigades (CABs), creates a strategic organizational shift and preserves talent. This integration bolsters readiness, improves continuity and retains technical expertise, ultimately resulting in a more lethal and capable force.

Secretary of War, the Honorable Pete Hegseth said in his April 30, 2025, Memorandum for Senior Pentagon Leadership, “To build a leaner, more lethal force, the Army must transform at an accelerated pace by divesting outdated, redundant, and inefficient programs, as well as restructuring headquarters and acquisition systems.” Following this directive, ARSTRUC correctly identified, USAR rotary aviation assets for elimination, based on redundancy and inefficiency. The redundancy stems from existing aviation capabilities within compos 1&2, while the inefficiency arises because compo 3 aviation lacks a peace time mission. Maintaining a standalone compo 3 rotary aviation structure is inefficient, and it ultimately diverts vital resources from the Active Army and the National Guard.

The current divestment plans overlook a critical factor: the forced dismissal of many talented, experienced and combat ready aviators who have spent decades perfecting their aeronautical skills. Qualification, recency and currency are the foundational attributes of any pilot including Army Aviators. Developing fully mission capable combat ready aviators takes years. Separating these experienced aviators from service creates immense inefficiency, directly contradicting Secretary Hegseth’s mandate to build a more lethal force.

To retain vetted talent, the Army can utilize an existing mechanism: the IMA program. Nested within the USAR, IMA program’s function is to provide a rapid mobilization of manpower. Soldiers assigned to an IMA billets are individually responsible to schedule their service obligation with the active duty unit that they are augmented to. (HQDA, 2022) Army Regulation 140-145, which governs the IMA program specifically states:

Many of these military manpower requirements must be filled early on during the initial stages of an emerging crisis and well before a partial or full mobilization is declared. These requirements must be filled with qualified Soldiers who are able to report to and perform their assigned duties without delay, orientation, or post mobilization training. This objective is accomplished by pre-assigning qualified members of the Army’s Selected Reserve to required mobilization positions that have been specifically designated and documented to augment Regular Army (RA) units and/or other authorized agencies of the U.S. Government.” (p.4)

Years of training are required to develop a combat ready aviator, and to eliminate one takes no time at all. Embedding IMA positions directly into compo 1 CAB structures offers an easy and seamless way to preserve highly trained compo 3 aviation personnel.

Beyond talent preservation, integrating compo 3 aviators through the IMA program delivers immediate secondary and tertiary benefits to active duty CABs. A pilot’s currency is managed through the Army’s Flying Hour Program, (HQDA, 2018), which relies heavily on the participation of qualified aviators. Current, rated USAR aviators could step in for active-duty service members who are attending Professional Military Education (PME), temporarily grounded, or taking leave. Supported by IMA reservists, the Flying Hour Program gains operational flexibility, directly enhancing readiness. These aviators would function as combat multipliers within the existing active duty CAB structure, ready to fill critical gaps and increase overall lethality through intensified readiness.

This integration maximizes structural efficiency because IMA aviators would utilize established command structures, equipment, and facilities. The Army successfully divests the redundant equipment and facilities of compo 3 while preserving human capital by reassigning aviation personnel through the IMA program to active duty units. Lethality increases as USAR and active duty aviators train side-by-side to maintain readiness. This creates deeper total-force integration and ensures significantly faster mobilization timelines when deployment orders arrive.

Aviation capability is easy to abandon but incredibly hard to replace. The U.S. taxpayer invests millions of dollars into training every single pilot; releasing experienced USAR aviators is financially wasteful and strategically inefficient. The IMA program provides the exact mechanism needed to eliminate redundant infrastructure while preserving essential talent. Keeping USAR aviators current and accessible is an invaluable asset. When a crisis emerges, time is the one element that cannot be replaced, and there will be no time to train competent pilots from scratch. Preserving USAR aviators to maintain currency through the IMA program ensures a vastly more lethal, ready, and resilient total force.

References