Military Careers, commissioning programs - Marine Corps Times

Guide to Reserve status designations

Ready Reserve

The Ready Reserve is the category of reservists most often called to active duty. Within the Ready Reserve, there are three categories: Inactive National Guard, Individual Ready Reserve and Selected Reserve.

Inactive National Guard. Only the Army National Guard uses this category. Those who leave active drilling status in the Guard before completing their enlistment will be put in this category unless they specifically request a transfer to the Individual Ready Reserve.

Those in inactive status cannot drill for pay or points. They are not eligible for annual training and cannot be promoted.

However, they are required to muster with their last unit once a year. In the event of a full activation, they can be recalled to service with that unit.

Individual Ready Reserve. Most people who join the service through the delayed-entry program spend time in the Individual Ready Reserve while awaiting basic training. Also, if your active or reserve enlistment expires after four years, you may be put in the IRR until you fulfill participation requirements.

IRR members can be promoted, compile points and years toward retirement, and train annually, although it is not required.

Since those in the IRR do not belong to a unit, it is up to the individual to complete the correspondence courses required for drill points and find a command that has the money to pay for training to get the 50 points per year needed to accrue “good years” toward retirement. This does not apply to those in inactive IRR status.

Selected Reserve. There are four categories of Selected Reserve:

• Active Guard and Reserve. These reservists serve on active duty to administer and train their units at headquarters level. Others are recruiters or instructors.

This category includes not only active Air Force and Army Reserve and National Guard personnel, but also Navy Full Time Support personnel and Marine Corps Active reservists. They are assigned mobilization slots or billets in the units they serve and are considered part of the Reserve.

However, in the Navy Reserve, though on active-duty rolls, Navy Full Time Support members are considered part of the Reserve. The Navy allows these members to go to sea and fill other operational jobs, but when ashore, they’re assigned to administer reserve units.

Job opportunities in this category are posted on the Web sites of the individual reserve components.

• Individual Mobilization Augmentee. IMAs are assigned to active-duty units. In times of emergency and war, they can be called up quickly to get their unit up to par.

IMAs are required to train with their active-duty units two weeks each year. They also are required to accrue 24 or 48 inactive duty points, depending on the training requirements, to get credit for retirement.

• Military technicians. These “dual-status” reservists are also full-time federal civilian employees. They provide training and do administrative work for their reserve units, often wear uniforms to work and are assigned to a mobilization position in their units.

• Selected Reserve Units. Most reservists are in this category and are the first to be activated. These reservists must complete 48-unit training assemblies, or drills, plus two weeks of annual training each year.

Traditionally, drills are held once a month on weekends. On an average weekend, reservists are paid for four days of work, five if the drill starts on a Friday.

It is important to ask about a unit’s drill schedule before joining. Many reservists who directly support active components drill whenever they are able, sometimes during the week. Such flexible schedules can be a benefit for those with irregular civilian work hours.