Reserve components of the United States armed forces
Encyclopedia
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 Guard and Reserves.
Note: The Army National Guard of the United States and the Air National Guard of the United States primarily fall under the National Guard of the United States.
During times of war, the Merchant Marine is classified as part of the uniformed services and members obtain veteran status.
s and state guards (a.k.a. State Defense Forces) are not considered reserve components because they are not federally recognized even though they perform a military function. However, members of the National Guard, which is a state's primary militia force, can be appointed as a federally recognized reserve military force, with the consent of state governors, becoming part of the National Guard of the United States.
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.
. They are 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
”).
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.
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 militia
s that served as a balance against a standing federal army, which many Americans feared would threaten states’ rights. The militias were organized into the present National Guard system with the Militia Act of 1903
.
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. The United States Coast Guard
and United States Coast Guard Reserve
are not subject to the restrictions of the Posse Comitatus Act
because they are the only Armed Force of the United States that is not part of the United States Department of Defense
.
organized by each state, the National Guard of the United States is a reserve federal military force of the United States Armed Forces
. The National Guard of the United States 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 under the consent of their respective state governors. The National Guard of the United States maintains two subcomponents: the Army National Guard of the United States for the Army and the Air Force's Air National Guard of the United States. The Army National Guard of the United States is made up of federally recognized members of the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard of the United States is made up of federally recognized members of the Air National Guard.
Reservist
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...
, generally perform a minimum of 39 days of military duty per year and who augment the active duty
Active duty
Active duty refers to a full-time occupation as part of a military force, as opposed to reserve duty.-Pakistan:The Pakistan Armed Forces are one of the largest active service forces in the world with almost 610,000 full time personnel due to the complex and volatile nature of Pakistan's...
(or full time) military when necessary. The reserve components are also referred to collectively as the Guard and Reserves.
Reserve components
The eight reserve components of the U.S. military are:- Army ReserveUnited States Army ReserveThe United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
- Navy ReserveUnited States Navy ReserveThe United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
- Marine Corps Reserve
- Air Force Reserve
- Coast Guard ReserveUnited States Coast Guard ReserveThe 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 Director of Reserve and Leadership....
- Army National Guard of the United States
- Air National Guard of the United States
- United States Public Health ServiceUnited States Public Health ServiceThe Public Health Service Act of 1944 structured the United States Public Health Service as the primary division of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare , which later became the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The PHS comprises all Agency Divisions of Health and...
Reserve Corps (*uniformed service, not an armed service)
Note: The Army National Guard of the United States and the Air National Guard of the United States primarily fall under the National Guard of the United States.
Civilian Auxiliaries distinguished
The civilian auxiliaries of the U.S. military are not considered to be reserve components of the respective services but could assist the military in peacetime or wartime; the exception is the Coast Guard where upon determination by the Commandant Auxiliary members become part of the temporary Reserve (per the CG Authorization Act of 1996):- Civil Air PatrolCivil Air PatrolCivil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...
, auxiliary to the Air Force - Coast Guard AuxiliaryUnited States Coast Guard AuxiliaryThe United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard and was established on June 23, 1939 by an act of Congress as the United States Coast Guard Reserve, and was re-designated as the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary on February 19, 1941...
, auxiliary to the Coast Guard - Merchant MarineUnited States Merchant MarineThe United States Merchant Marine refers to the fleet of U.S. civilian-owned merchant vessels, operated by either the government or the private sector, that engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States. The Merchant Marine is...
, auxiliary to the Navy - Military Auxiliary Radio System
During times of war, the Merchant Marine is classified as part of the uniformed services and members obtain veteran status.
State military forces distinguished
Additionally, the state organized militia such as various naval militiaNaval militia
A naval militia in the United States is a reserve military organization administered under the authority of a state government. It is often composed of Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard reservists, retirees and volunteers. They are distinguishable from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, which is a...
s and state guards (a.k.a. State Defense Forces) are not considered reserve components because they are not federally recognized even though they perform a military function. However, members of the National Guard, which is a state's primary militia force, can be appointed as a federally recognized reserve military force, with the consent of state governors, becoming part of the National Guard of the United States.
Purpose
According to , 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 warWar
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
or national emergency, and at such other times as the national security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
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.
General information
The reserve components are the embodiment of the American tradition of the citizen-soldier dating back to before the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. They are 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
One weekend a month, two weeks a year
"One weekend a month, two weeks a year" is a former recruiting slogan used by the U.S. Army National Guard. It indicated the amount of time an individual would need to spend actively in the Guard to be a Guardsman with benefits...
”).
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 definition of the term “reserve” varies depending on the context. 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
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
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
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and report to the governor of California as their commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
.
This unique relationship descends from the colonial and state militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
s that served as a balance against a standing federal army, which many Americans feared would threaten states’ rights. The militias were organized into the present National Guard system with the Militia Act of 1903
Militia Act of 1903
The National Guard Bureau is the federal instrument responsible for the administration of the National Guard of the United States established by the United States Congress as a joint bureau of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. It was created by the Militia Act of 1903...
.
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
Posse Comitatus Act
The Posse Comitatus Act is an often misunderstood and misquoted United States federal law passed on June 18, 1878, after the end of Reconstruction. Its intent was to limit the powers of local governments and law enforcement agencies from using federal military personnel to enforce the laws of...
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. The United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
and United States Coast Guard Reserve
United States Coast Guard Reserve
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 Director of Reserve and Leadership....
are not subject to the restrictions of the Posse Comitatus Act
Posse Comitatus Act
The Posse Comitatus Act is an often misunderstood and misquoted United States federal law passed on June 18, 1878, after the end of Reconstruction. Its intent was to limit the powers of local governments and law enforcement agencies from using federal military personnel to enforce the laws of...
because they are the only Armed Force of the United States that is not part of the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
.
National Guard vs. National Guard of the United States
While the National Guard is a militia forceMilitia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
organized by each state, the National Guard of the United States is a reserve federal military force of the United States Armed Forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
. The National Guard of the United States is joint reserve component of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
and are made up of National Guard members from the states appointed to federal military service under the consent of their respective state governors. The National Guard of the United States maintains two subcomponents: the Army National Guard of the United States for the Army and the Air Force's Air National Guard of the United States. The Army National Guard of the United States is made up of federally recognized members of the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard of the United States is made up of federally recognized members of the Air National Guard.
Reserve component categories
All members of a reserve component are assigned to one of three reserve component categories:- The Ready Reserve comprises military members of the Reserve and National Guard, organized in units or as individuals, liable for recall to active duty to augment the active components in time of war or national emergency. The Ready Reserve consists of three reserve component subcategories:
- The Selected Reserve consist of those units and individuals within the Ready Reserve designated by their respective Services and approved by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffChairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffThe Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces, and is the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council and the Secretary of Defense...
as so essential to initial wartime missions that they have priority over all other Reserves. The Selected Reserve consists of additional sub-subcategories:- Drilling Reservists/Troop Program Units (TPUs) are trained unit members who participate in unit training activities on a part-time basis.
- Training Pipeline (non-deployable account) personnel are enlisted members of the Selected Reserve who have not yet completed initial active duty for training (IADT) and officers who are in training for professional categories or in undergraduate flying training.
- Individual Mobilization Augmentees (IMAs) are trained individuals assigned to an active component, Selective Service System, or Federal Emergency Management AgencyFederal Emergency Management AgencyThe Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA) organization’s billet which must be filled on or shortly after mobilization. IMAs participate in training activities on a part-time basis with an active component unit in preparation for recall in a mobilization. - Active Guard/Reserve (AGR) are National Guard or Reserve members of the Selected Reserve who are ordered to active duty or full-time National Guard duty for the purpose of organizing, administering, recruiting, instructing, or training the reserve component units.
- Individual Ready ReserveIndividual Ready ReserveThe Individual Ready Reserve 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, and is authorized under...
(IRR) personnel provide a manpower pool composed principally of individuals having had training, having previously served in an active duty component or in the Selected Reserve, and having some period of their military service obligation (MSO) remaining. - Inactive National Guard (ING) are National Guard personnel in an inactive status in the Ready Reserve, not in the Selected Reserve, attached to a specific National Guard unit, who are required to muster once a year with their assigned unit but do not participate in training activities. On mobilization, ING members mobilize with their units.
- The Selected Reserve consist of those units and individuals within the Ready Reserve designated by their respective Services and approved by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- The Standby Reserve consists of personnel who maintain their affiliation without being in the Ready Reserve, who have been designated key civilian employees, or who have a temporary hardship or disability. They are not required to perform training and are not part of units but create a pool of trained individuals who could be mobilized if necessary to fill manpower needs in specific skills.
- Active Status List are those Standby Reservists temporarily assigned for hardship or other cogent reason; those not having fulfilled their military service obligation or those retained in active status when provided for by law; or those members of Congress and others identified by their employers as “key personnel” and who have been removed from the Ready Reserve because they are critical to the national security in their civilian employment.
- Inactive Status List are those Standby Reservists who are not required by law or regulation to remain in an active program and who retain their Reserve affiliation in a non-participating status, and those who have skills which may be of possible future use to the Armed Force concerned.
- The Retired Reserve consists of all Reserve officers and enlisted personnel who receive retired pay on the basis of active duty and/or reserve service; all Reserve officers and enlisted personnel who are otherwise eligible for retired pay but have not reached age 60, who have not elected discharge, and are not voluntary members of the Ready or Standby Reserve; and other retired reservists under certain conditions.
Mobilization
Individual service members 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:- Full Mobilization requires a declaration of war or national emergency by the United States CongressUnited States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, affects all reservists (including those on inactive status and retired members), and may last until six months after the war or emergency for which it was declared. - Partial Mobilization requires a declaration of national emergency, affects only the Ready Reserve, and is limited to a maximum of one million personnel activated for no more than two years.
- Presidential Reserve Call-Ups do not require a declaration of national emergency but require the PresidentPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
to notify Congress and is limited to 200,000 Selected Reservists and 30,000 Individual Ready Reservists for up to 270 days. - The 15-Day Statute allows individual service secretaries to call up the Ready Reserves for up to 15 days per year for annual training or operational missions.
- RC Volunteers may request to go on active duty regardless of their reserve component category, but the state governors must approve activating National Guard personnel.
See also
- Military reserve forceMilitary reserve forceA military reserve force is a military organization composed of citizens of a country who combine a military role or career with a civilian career. They are not normally kept under arms and their main role is to be available to fight when a nation mobilizes for total war or to defend against invasion...
- Reserve Officers' Training CorpsReserve Officers' Training CorpsThe Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college-based, officer commissioning program, predominantly in the United States. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.The U.S...
- World Basic Information Library (WBIL)World Basic Information Library (WBIL)The World Basic Information Library is a joint United States Army and United States Navy program, which allows Reserve Component personnel of all United States Armed Forces branches to participate in contributing Open Source Intelligence information in accordance with tasking requirements from...