Do You Have To Be In The Retired Reserve To Be Called Back To Military Service

Joining any military branch is a determination that requires a great bargain of sacrifice.

At that place are many benefits to joining the war machine and individuals gain an feel unlike whatsoever other.

It tin can be hard to make up one's mind to join either active duty or reserves.

Each branch has different active duty and reserve components.

In any branch, joining as active duty requires a full fourth dimension commitment and the possibility of multiple moves/deployments.

Active duty also offers a full benefits package and more MOS options.

Reserve options tin be total or office fourth dimension, offer lower-cost benefits, and provide individuals with the choice of choosing from the majority of active duty MOSs.

While active duty and reserves have similar training and MOS options, the largest departure is the power of a reserves member to stay near their dwelling.

Reserves allows individuals with the power to serve their country, without making the commitment to leave their home and their family.

Which armed forces reserves branch meets your needs?

Go on reading for armed forces reserves description, organizational structure, jobs, pay, benefits, pros and cons, for each co-operative.

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US Army Reserves

The Army Reserve is a part-time opportunity that allows individuals to serve their country, while staying shut to habitation and learning job skills that relate to civilian career fields.

Individuals serve one weekend a calendar month and two weeks a year in training on contracts that range from three-half-dozen years, unless they are called to agile duty.

They can be called to active duty whenever the Regular army needs someone with their specialty and may exist required to deploy.

Positions in the Army Reserves are similar to those in active duty, but information technology does not include all of the MOS options.

Example Reserves Positions:

Homeland Security (Water Handling Specialist, MOS 92W; Civil Diplomacy Specialist, MOS 36B)
Information technology (Information technology Specialist, MOS 25B; Multichannel Manual Systems Operator Maintainer, MOS 25Q)
Biohazard Protection (Chemic Operations Specialist, MOS 74D; Quartermaster and Chemical Equipment Repairer, MOS 91J)
Logistics (Motor Transport Operator, MOS 88M; Transportation Direction Coordinator, MOS 88N)
Civil Affairs (Public Diplomacy Specialist, 44Q; Engineer Officer, 12)
Military Information Support Operations (Psychological Operations Specialist, MOS 37F; Human Intelligence Collector, MOS 35M)
Medical Services (Operating Room Specialist, 68D; Veterinarian Corps Officeholder, 64)

The list above is not exhaustive. To search electric current reserve jobs, click here.

While certain jobs have additional qualifications, the Army Reserves requires individuals to be 17 o 34 years one-time, a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident alien, in practiced moral standing and healthy/good concrete condition.

Related Commodity – How To Bring together The US Armed services As A Non-Citizen

Army Reserve members receive drill pay ranging from just over $iii,000 to over $5,000 a year, depending on rank (Reserve Officers will exist paid higher).

Benefits for Army Reserves include task bonuses, tuition assistance and student load debt assistance, low cost health/dental insurance, low cost life insurance and access to veteran retirement benefits.

US Ground forces Reserves Pros and Cons

Pros:

Ability to stay most habitation
Admission to benefits while working part time
Receive training that translates to noncombatant careers without signing up full time

Cons:

Non all MOSs take reserves options
Does not take full time pay
May still have to deploy

US Navy Reserves

The United states Navy Reserve is made upwards of full fourth dimension and part-fourth dimension individuals who can enter into active duty or take previously been in active duty.

Navy Reserves is broken into iii organizational categories that define the commitment status and responsibilities.

Set up Reserve is the commencement category and is broken into Selected Reserve (Drilling Reservists and Full Time Support) and Individual Gear up Reserve (Inactive and Agile).

The other categories are Standby Reserve, consisting of individuals who complete the Ready Reserve components, and Retired Reserve-Inactive, Reservists who receive retired pay.

United states Navy Reserves who are in the Prepare Reserve component will exist required to meet Navy qualification standards, while personnel in the other categories are not required to keep up with physical preparation.

Most volition serve the standard one weekend a calendar month, plus two weeks a year for training, although full fourth dimension opportunities are available as a Navy Total-Time Back up or New Individual Augmentee.

Related Commodity – Navy Jobs List: A List Of All 71 Ratings In The United states of america Navy

Navy Reservist roles are similar to Navy enlisted roles, and individuals perform job functions similar to that of their enlisted counterpart.

Some of those roles (or ratings as they're known in the Navy), include:

Infirmary Corpsman (HM)
Information Systems Technician (IT)
Master-At-Arms (MA)
Seabees
Gunners Mate (GM)

Reservists receive four days of base of operations pay for every 2 days of traditional weekend drilling.

Their pay is based on the same pay scale for rank/time of service for active duty personnel and they tin can receive bonuses and special pay similar to active duty.

Wellness care, dental, bonuses and tuition help are available to reservist depending on their duty status.

US Navy Reserves Pros and Cons

Pros:

Power to serve full or part time
Bachelor bonuses and special pay
Follow same promotion and pay enhance scale equally active duty

Cons:

No guarantee that individuals volition get their same rating
Joining as an Individual Augment has a high gamble of being moved to active duty
May crave personal time to keep in shape

US Air Force Reserves

The U.s.a. Air Force Reserves is open to non-prior service, prior service and officer personnel and currently holds over 69,000 members.

Most positions are part time (Traditional Reservists), and initial service commitments are for six years active duty, with two additional years inactive.

Other options include Individual Mobilization Augmentees (IMAs), Agile Guard Reserve and Air Reserve Technicians (Art).

Related Article –Reenlistment Codes for Each Military Branch

Reservists can serve on Air Strength Bases, Air Reserve Bases, or air stations shared with other military branches.

Individuals with non-prior service must be 17 to 39, a U.S. Citizen or legal permanent resident, accept a loftier school diploma and be in good health.

The Air Force Reserves offers well-nigh of the same jobs offered to enlisted personnel and has the same uniform and rank structure.

A few of those jobs (or AFSC'due south) include:

Loadmaster (1A231)
Tactical Air Control Party (TACP)
Special Missions Aviation (1A9X1)
Cyber Warfare (1B4X1)
Flying Attendant (1A6X1)

A total listing of Air Force Reserve jobs tin be institute here.

Pay is based on rank, time of service, and whether the work is performed on weekends (inactive duty) or ii-week almanac tour (active duty).

Reserve members have access to low-toll medical, dental, bonuses and in some positions, tuition assistance.

Related Article – Air Force Ranks and Pay

United states Air Force Reserves Pros and Cons

Pros:

Almost Reservists work shut to dwelling house
Potential enlistment bonuses upwardly to $20,000
Direct Transfer options

Cons:

Attempt to keep your rank but, no guarantee of rank being the same
May be assigned to a location further abroad from your home, depending on job availability
Split grooming option not usually available (pick to break between Basic Training and Technical Training)

Related Commodity –10 Pros And ten Cons Of Joining The Air Forcefulness

US Marine Corps Reserves

The Marine Corps Reserves offers a similar choice to other armed forces branches when it comes to fourth dimension commitment.

Their Selected Marine Corps Reserve option allows individuals to piece of work 1 weekend a month and ii consecutive weeks a year, with the aforementioned training and MOS options every bit enlisted members.

Related Commodity – Marine Corps MOS List and ASVAB Scores

Individuals can choose to accept 6 years drill status with 2 years in Individual Gear up Reserve (IRR), 5 years in drill status; three in IRR or 4 years in drill status; 4 in IRR.

The training and requirements to enter into an MOS are almost identical equally an enlisted active duty member.

Individuals can also join as Active Reserve (full time), Individual Mobilization Augmentee or Private Ready Reserve.

Marine Corps Reservists are offered discounted wellness care, didactics assistance, potential cash bonuses and a pay check depending on participation and rank.

Us Marine Corps Reserves Pros and Cons

Pros:

Find your MOS when you enlist
Advanced training options
Aforementioned training every bit active duty

Cons:

Must spend six years in drill condition to get Postal service nine/11 GI Neb
Longer term options
The same annual training as active duty is required, so personal time is sometimes used to complete it

Us Coast Baby-sit Reserves

In 2016, the Declension Guard celebrated 75 years of Coast Guard Reserves. Image: dodlive.mil

Coast Baby-sit Reserves support maritime homeland security, national defense force and domestic disaster operations.

To enter into the reserves you must exist a U.S. Citizen or resident alien, be 17-xl years of age, have a high school diploma, accept no more than three dependents and pass entry testing.

Related Article – Coast Guard Jobs List: A List of All 24 Ratings

The Coast Guard reserve has five programs to assist with entering into as a reserve.

The programs include: Split Grooming Program (fourth dimension between basic and specialized preparation), Consecutive Training Plan (specialized immediately follows basic), Straight Entry Petty Officer Plan (prior skills that relate allow for higher rank), Direct Entry Education Program (education allows for higher rank), and Prior-Military Service Program (ability to enlist at higher rank).

Coast Guard reservist can serve in ane of 17 dissimilar ratings, including one rating that is unique to the reservist role, Investigator.

Jobs include: Boatswain's Mate, Culinary Specialist, Damage Controlman, Electrician'due south Mate, Electronics Technician, Gunner's Mate, Health Services Technician, Data System Technician, Intelligence Specialist, Investigator, Machinery Technician, Marine Science Technician, Maritime Enforcement Specialist, Functioning Specialist, Public Affairs Specialist, Storekeeper and Yeoman.

Chore descriptions for the higher up mentioned titles can exist plant here.

Reserve non-officer members can get-go out making roughly $292.00 per a month for each drill weekend.

Coast Baby-sit Reserves are offered low-cost health care, education assistance and loan opportunities, life insurance, retirement and veteran preference points.

Related Article –Declension Guard Grooming Standards

United states Coast Guard Reserves Pros and Cons

Pros:

Allows a split training program (time between basic training and specialized training)
Ability to fill unused seats of DoD owned aircraft
All positions are open to men and women equally

Cons:

Prior service may not be able to keep rank
Can receive travel orders or be involuntarily mobilized
Unremarkably take to alive inside 100 miles of the unit of measurement with job opening

Decision

Armed services reserves differ betwixt each military machine branch.

The most popular service is part-time, but each branch has unlike options that may provide full or part-time service.

Time commitments also vary between branches and tin have an outcome on your determination for which branch to bring together, as well as if you should join as active or reserves.

Each branch offers pay to their reservist, in addition to low-toll benefit options and abilities to use tuition assistance programs.

Working as a reservist still provides the options to retire every bit a veteran and can provide an extra income for a minimal time commitment.

While working full time in active duty is a great career choice, working role-time in the reserves allows individuals to continue working their noncombatant job, or continue their education, while providing a service to their country.

Whether you are making the choice to serve every bit agile duty or reserves, follow this guide to compare each co-operative and it's active duty analogue.

References

Army Reserves

Navy Reserves

Air Strength Reserves

Marine Corps Reserves

Coast Guard Reserves

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Rob V. is the founder of OperationMilitaryKids.org. While he never actually served in the United states Military, he has a passion for writing well-nigh military machine related topics.

Built-in and raised in Woodbridge, NJ, he graduated from the New Jersey Institute Of Applied science with an MBA in eCommerce.His hobbies include beach volleyball, target shooting, and lifting.

Rob is as well a Commercially rated pilot and Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), with over 1,500 hours of flight fourth dimension.

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