Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces

Last updated

The reserve components of the United States Armed Forces are military organizations whose members generally perform a minimum of 39 days of military duty per year and who augment the active duty (or full-time) military when necessary. The reserve components are also referred to collectively as the National Guard and Reserve. [1] [2]

Contents

According to 10 U.S.C.   § 10102, "the purpose of each reserve component is to provide trained units and qualified persons available for active duty in the armed forces, in time of war or national emergency, and at such other times as the national security may require, to fill the needs of the armed forces whenever, during and after the period needed to procure and train additional units and qualified persons to achieve the planned mobilization, more units and persons are needed than are in the regular components."

Reserve components

There are seven reserve components of the U.S. military, which are divided into two categories: regular reserves and National Guard.

Regular reserves

National Guard

Civilian auxiliaries distinguished

The civilian auxiliaries of the U.S. military are not considered reserve components of the respective Services, but do serve as force multipliers:

These auxiliaries are generally excluded from direct combat roles. However, during World War II, members of the Civil Air Patrol and the Coast Guard Auxiliary were sometimes armed. Civil Air Patrol pilots engaged in anti-submarine patrols, armed with bombs, and engaged over 100 U-boats. Members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary could volunteer as "temporary reservists", for duty as armed port security and harbor patrol officers.

While merchant mariners were usually not armed, armed Navy or Coast Guard crews were frequently embarked on Merchant Marine vessels. U-boats preying on allied shipping in the Atlantic made service as a merchant mariner extremely hazardous. In the 1980s, some Merchant Mariners who had sailed during World War II, were granted veteran benefits.

State military forces distinguished

Additionally, under the U.S. Constitution, each State (or Commonwealth), may have additional organized militia, such as the various State guards and State naval militias. These State forces are not normally considered to be reserve components because they are not federal forces and fall under the jurisdiction and command of each state's respective governor, even though they perform a military function. Nearly every state has laws authorizing state defense forces, and 22 states, plus the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, have active SDFs with different levels of activity, support, and strength. State defense forces generally operate with emergency management and homeland security missions. These forces are trained and equipped to perform specialized roles such as search and rescue, maritime patrols, augmenting state police or National Guard military police in a law enforcement role, or emergency management response. These forces may be armed or equipped, and have powers of arrest, as each State requires, and as State forces are not subject to the limitations of the Posse Comitatus laws governing Federal military forces' engaged in law enforcement duties.

Historically, the most important role of State Guards was to provide a military presence in a state when the national guard was deployed elsewhere or not available. While State defense forces may be called into State Active Duty status, thereby eligible for pay and benefits as provided by each State's laws, they are also subject to State military disciplinary codes when in a duty status. They are normally all-volunteer units who serve without pay, having only those benefits provided by State law, and often have no access to retirement credit or medical benefits beyond the equivalent of workman's compensation for "in the line of duty" injuries or illness. State Defense Forces cannot be Federalised, as organizations, during a mobilization of a State's National Guard, but the individuals within the State Defense Forces are subject to each State, and Federal, laws governing recall to duty for either State or Federal service, induction via a Federal draft, or "calling forth the militia" under various State laws or the Federal Insurrection Act. In contrast, members of the National Guard, which is a State's primary organized militia force, can be mobilized (or Federalized) to support federal requirements, thereby becoming part of the National Guard of the United States.

General information

The reserve components are the embodiment of the American tradition of the citizen-soldier dating back to before the American Revolutionary War. They are typically, but not always, regionally based and recruited (unlike their active duty counterparts) and, in the case of the Army and Air National Guard, are the organized state militias referred to in the U.S. Constitution.

Members of the reserve components are generally required to perform, at a minimum, 39 days of military service per year. This includes monthly drill weekends and fifteen days of annual training (giving rise to the old slogan "one weekend a month, two weeks a year"). However, many members of the reserve components will perform well in excess of this amount, often in the realm of 120 to 179 days of combined drill duty and active duty per year. Personnel in this latter category are typically assigned to specialized combat units in the reserve components that require additional duty in order to maintain proficiency, such as pilots, flight officers and enlisted aircrewmen in flying units or special operations forces personnel (e.g., Army Special Forces, Navy SEALs, etc.) in SOF units.

While organized, trained, and equipped nearly the same as the active duty, the reserve components often have unique characteristics. This is especially true of the National Guard, which performs both federal and state missions. In addition, reserve components often operate under special laws, regulations, and policies.

Reserve vs. National Guard

The Reserve Components of the United States Armed forces are named within Title 10 of the United States Code and include: (1) the Army National Guard, (2) the Army Reserve, (3) the Navy Reserve, (4) the Marine Corps Reserve, (5) the Air National Guard, (6) the Air Force Reserve, and (7) the Coast Guard Reserve. In practice the use of the term "reserve" varies depending on the context in which it is used. In one context, as used here in this article, it applies to all seven of the reserve components of the U.S. military. In another context, it applies to only the five reserve components directly associated with the five active duty military services but neither to the Army National Guard nor the Air National Guard.

In most respects, the Army National Guard and Air National Guard are very similar to the Army Reserve and Air Force Reserve, respectively. The primary difference lies in the level of government to which they are subordinated. The Army Reserve and Air Force Reserve are subordinated to the federal government while the National Guards are subordinated to the various state governments, except when called into federal service by the President of the United States or as provided for by law. For example, the California Army National Guard and California Air National Guard are subordinated to the state of California and report to the governor of California as their commander-in-chief.

This unique relationship descends from the colonial and state militias that served as a balance against a standing federal army, which many Americans feared would threaten states' rights. [ citation needed ] The portions of each state's militia subject to federal activation were organized into the present National Guard system with the Militia Act of 1903. The portions of a state's government sponsored militia that remain, if any, are the State Defense Force for that state.

Besides the theoretical check on federal power, the distinction between the federal military reserves and the National Guard permits state governors to use their personnel to assist in disaster relief and to preserve law and order in times of crisis. The latter is permitted because the National Guard are not subject to the restrictions of the Posse Comitatus Act unless they are under federal jurisdiction. The restrictions, however, do apply to the four of the other five reserve components just as it does with their active duty military counterparts.

Militia and Reserve

While the National Guard is a militia force organized by each state, [3] [4] it is also a reserve federal military force of the United States Armed Forces. [3] [4] The National Guard is joint reserve component of the United States Army and the United States Air Force and are made up of National Guard members from the states appointed to federal military service [3] under the consent of their respective state governors. [5] [6] [7] The National Guard maintains two subcomponents: the Army National Guard [3] for the Army and the Air Force's Air National Guard. [3]

Reserve component categories

All members of a reserve component are assigned to one of three reserve component categories:

Mobilization

Individual service members, portions of units, or entire units of the reserve components may be called into active duty (also referred to as mobilized, activated, or called up), under several conditions:

Note: while Regular Component (or commonly called Active Component [AC]) retirees are part of the Total Force of available manpower if needed, they remain part of the AC for life, whether retired for disability or longevity, carried on their Service's AC Retired List in a reduced state of readiness. It is generally easier to recall a retired AC member using 10 USC 688 authority than recalling a Retired Reservist (with less than 20 years of active duty) using any of the 10 USC 123XX mobilization authorities.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Guard (United States)</span> State-based reserve force of the United States Army and Air Force

The National Guard is a state-based military force that becomes part of the U.S. military's reserve components of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force when activated for federal missions. It is a military reserve force composed of National Guard military members or units of each state and the territories of Guam, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, for a total of 54 separate organizations. It is officially created under Congress's Article 1 Section 8 ability to "raise and support armies". All members of the National Guard are also members of the organized militia of the United States as defined by 10 U.S.C. § 246. National Guard units are under the dual control of state governments and the federal government.

The United States has eight federal uniformed services that commission officers as defined by Title 10 and subsequently structured and organized by Titles 10, 14, 32, 33, and 42 of the U.S. Code.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State defense force</span> Military units under the sole control of U.S. States government

In the United States, state defense forces (SDFs) are military units that operate under the sole authority of a state government. State defense forces are authorized by state and federal law and are under the command of the governor of each state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Noble Eagle</span> Military operation in response to 9/11

Operation Noble Eagle (ONE) is the United States and Canadian military operation related to homeland security and support to federal, state, and local agencies. The operation began 11 September 2001, in response to the September 11 attacks.

The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) is the foundation of the system of military justice of the armed forces of the United States. The UCMJ was established by the United States Congress in accordance with their constitutional authority, per Article I Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, which provides that "The Congress shall have Power. .. to make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval forces" of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Individual Ready Reserve</span> Category of US military reserve status

The Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) is a category of the Ready Reserve of the Reserve Component of the Armed Forces of the United States composed of former active duty or reserve military personnel. Its governing statute is codified at 10 U.S.C. § 10144. For soldiers in the National Guard of the United States, its counterpart is the Inactive National Guard (ING). As of 22 June 2004, the IRR had approximately 112,000 members composed of enlisted personnel and officers, with more than 200 Military Occupational Specialties are represented, including combat arms, combat support, and combat service support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reserve Good Conduct Medal</span> Award

A Reserve Good Conduct Medal refers to any one of the five military conduct awards, four of which are currently issued and one of which was previously issued, by the United States Armed Forces to members of the Reserve and National Guard. The primary difference between the regular Good Conduct Medal and the Reserve Good Conduct Medal is that the regular Good Conduct Medal is only issued for active duty service while the reserve equivalent is bestowed for reserve duties such as drills, annual training, and additional active duty for either training or operational support to the active duty force or, in the case of the Army National Guard and Air National Guard, in support of Title 32 U.S.C. state active duty (SAD) such as disaster response and relief.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Coast Guard Reserve</span> Reserve component of the United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard Reserve is the reserve component of the United States Coast Guard. It is organized, trained, administered, and supplied under the direction of the Commandant of the Coast Guard through the Assistant Commandant for Reserve (CG-R).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Force Reserve Command</span> Major command of the United States Air Force responsible for reserve forces

The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commissioned officers and enlisted airmen. Together, the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard constitute the Air Force element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. AFRC also plays an integral role in the day-to-day Air Force mission and is not strictly a force held in reserve for possible war or contingency operations. AFRC also supports the United States Space Force through the 310th Space Wing, pending the creation of a space reserve component.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Navy Reserve</span> Reserve Component of the United States Navy

The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Selected Reserve (SELRES), the Training and Administration of the Reserve (TAR), the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), or the Retired Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reservist</span> Member of a military reserve force

A reservist is a person who is a member of a military reserve force. They are otherwise civilians, and in peacetime have careers outside the military. Reservists usually go for training on an annual basis to refresh their skills. This person is usually a former active-duty member of the armed forces, and they remain a reservist either voluntarily, or by obligation. In some countries such as Israel, Norway, Finland, Singapore, and Switzerland, reservists are conscripted soldiers who are called up for training and service when necessary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Defense Force</span> Military unit

The Virginia Defense Force (VDF) is the official state defense force of Virginia, one of the three components of Virginia's state military along with the Virginia National Guard which includes the Virginia Army National Guard, the Virginia Air National Guard, and the unorganized militia. As of 2023, the VDF has approximately 275 personnel. The VDF is the descendant of the Virginia State Guard, the Virginia Regiment, and ultimately the Colonial Virginia militia of the Virginia Colony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi National Guard</span> Military unit

The Mississippi National Guard (MSNG), commonly known as the Mississippi Guard, is both a Mississippi state and a federal government organization, part of the United States National Guard. It is part of the Mississippi Military Department, a state agency of the government of Mississippi. The Adjutant General of Mississippi (TAG), Major General Janson Durr Boyles, serves as the executive director and is subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief, the Governor of Mississippi, in matters relating to the department and the state militia forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois National Guard</span> American military and law enforcement unit

The Illinois National Guard comprises both Army National Guard and Air National Guard components of Illinois. As of 2013, the Illinois National Guard has approximately 13,200 members. The National Guard is the only United States military force empowered to function in a state status. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. Those functions range from limited actions during non-emergency situations to full scale law enforcement of martial law when local law enforcement officials can no longer maintain civil control. The National Guard may be called into federal service in response to a call by the President or Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military reserve force</span> Military organization composed of citizens

A military reserve force is a military organization whose members (reservists) have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve forces are generally considered part of a permanent standing body of armed forces, and allow a nation to reduce its peacetime military expenditures and maintain a force prepared for war. During peacetime, reservists typically serve part-time alongside a civilian job, although most reserve forces have a significant permanent full-time component as well. Reservists may be deployed for weeks or months-long missions during peacetime to support specific operations. During wartime, reservists may be kept in service for months or years at a time, although typically not for as long as active duty soldiers.

Air Reserve Technicians, commonly referred to as ARTs, are a nucleus of full-time uniformed U.S. Air Force leaders, managers, operators, planners and trainers in what is known as the Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force, the ARC consisting of both the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Continental Air Command</span> Former U.S. Air Force major command

Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puerto Rico State Guard</span> State defense force of Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico State Guard (PRSG) is the state defense force of Puerto Rico that operates under the sole authority of the governor of Puerto Rico who, in turn, delegates such authority to the Puerto Rico Adjutant General. The Guard's secondary purpose is to assume the state mission of the Puerto Rico National Guard in the event that the National Guard is mobilized. The first incarnation of the PRSG was created in 1941 in response to World War II and it disbanded in 1946. The PRSG was revived in 1971 and has remained in continuous existence since then. It is one of the few state defense forces of the United States that has an air division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Marine Corps Reserve</span> Reserve force of the U.S. Marine Corps

The Marine Forces Reserve, also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Reserve is an expeditionary, warfighting organization and primarily designed to augment and reinforce the active duty units of the Marine Corps in their expeditionary role. It is the largest command, by assigned personnel, in the U.S. Marine Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indonesian National Armed Forces Reserve Component</span> Reserve military unit of the Indonesian National Armed Forces

The Reserve Component of the Indonesian National Armed Forces is the military reserve force of Indonesia, jointly managed under the General Headquarters of the Indonesian National Armed Forces and the Indonesian Ministry of Defense.

References

  1. "National Guard and Reserve Home". www.benefits.va.gov. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  2. "National Guard and Reserves Resources • Military OneSource". Military OneSource. December 4, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 32 USC 101. Definitions (NATIONAL GUARD)
  4. 1 2 10 USC 12401. Army and Air National Guard of the United States: status
  5. 10 USC 12211. Officers: Army National Guard of the United States
  6. 10 USC 12212. Officers: Air National Guard of the United States
  7. 10 USC 12107. Army National Guard of United States; Air National Guard of the United States: enlistment in

Further reading