TFIA Continues Work to Improve IA Process

By Lt. Justin Cole, Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs
(Last Reviewed Friday, January 26, 2007)


Rear Adm. Sonny Masso chaired a Task Force Individual Augmentation (TFIA) meeting which was aimed at further improving the IA process, and reviewing current policies and initiatives.

Masso, who has led TFIA since its inception, directed the review of the entire IA process to include detailing, training, and benefits for Sailors and their families, of both the reserve and active components. The review was part of a periodic assessment to ensure that procedures previously put in place were having the desired outcome for the Sailors affected by them.

“We were stood up in April of 2006 to do three things,” said Masso. “First, we took a look at the sourcing and notification process. Then we took a look at the training pipeline to get our Sailors ready to go into harms way. Finally, we wanted to make sure we were taking care of the families of those who were serving as IA’s, and make sure they knew how much we valued their service.”

TFIA is made up of senior officers and enlisted personnel from various commands who have a stake in the IA process. Members of Naval Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC), Fleet Forces Command (FFC), Navy Personnel Command (NPC), and the Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP) contribute to the task force.

“The ultimate goal of the task force is to work ourselves out of a job. If we are able to get these processes ingrained into the way we do business on a daily basis, then the task force would no longer be needed. I would consider that a big success for us and a bigger success for the IA’s,” said Masso.

Recent meetings of the task force have focused on establishing initiatives aimed at taking care of the Sailor’s families and careers. Award points, duty preference, and advancement exam flexibility were some of the initiatives announced in NAVADMIN 273/06. The original message, according to Masso, was not meant to be the final word, but rather a starting point.

“The initiatives have been in place for several months and we have gotten some good feedback from the Fleet,” said Masso. “We want to keep reviewing the process and the incentives we are offering to the Sailors taking these jobs to make sure we really are doing the right thing by them. If there is a way to improve the process, we owe it to everyone to look into that.”

Following the TFIA conference a list of proposals was generated to modify and add certain incentives to IA’s. These initiatives will be announced in the coming weeks.

“We want to make sure that we don’t exclude one Sailor who is doing this important duty and legitimately deserves these incentives,” said Masso.

Since TFIA stood up last year, NECC and Expeditionary Combat Readiness Command (ECRC) have also come online as the one-stop source for IA and family readiness issues. NECC integrates all war-fighting requirements for expeditionary combat and combat support elements. This transformation allows for standardized training, manning and equipping of Sailors who will participate in maritime security operations and the global war on terrorism as part of the joint force. They are involved in every aspect of an IA’s professional development as they get ready to deploy, but are also the source for family information.

While the IA process continues to become more familiar to Navy personnel on a daily basis, Masso says it is TFIA who deserves much of the credit for its success.

“I have never been more proud of a group of people in my life,” he said. “From the very beginning, they broke down the processes that bound the way we did business for years. They rewrote the book on getting results in a timely manner and they did it all while asking themselves only one question - 'What is the right thing to do for these Sailors?'”

For more information on IA duty and how to volunteer, visit the NPC website. The ECRC hotline can be reached at 1-877-462-4302 and was established as a source for IA’s and their families who have questions about any part of the process.


This article provided by LIFELines.

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