In IMS, to delete a segment, you must first establish exclusive control over it using a Get Hold Unique (GHU) call. This ensures no other programs can modify the segment while you're deleting it. The GHU call places a hold on the segment, which is a prerequisite for the subsequent D (delete) call. GU (Get Unique) retrieves without holding, while GN (Get Next) and GNP (Get Next Parent) are navigation calls.