Category: General Questions

What is the difference between Active Duty, the Reserves, and National Guard?

Active Duty

A person who is active duty is in the military full time. They work for the military full time, may live on a military base, and can be deployed at any time. Persons in the Reserve or National Guard are not full-time active duty military personnel, although they can be deployed at any time should the need arise.

The Reserve

The purpose of the Reserve is to provide and maintain trained units and qualified persons to be available for active duty in the Armed Forces when needed. This may be in times of war, in a national emergency, or as the need occurs based on threats to national security. Their presence can be called upon to serve either stateside or overseas. The primary job of the Reserve is to fill the gaps in stateside service positions when the active duty forces ship overseas. Members of the Reserve are required to participate in training drills one weekend a month and two weeks per year.

National Guard

While federally funded, the National Guard is organized and controlled by state. However, in times of war, the National Guard can become federalized and deployed. The National Guard engages in a number of activities. During local emergencies, National Guard units assist communities endangered by storms, floods, fires, and other disasters. As with the Reserve, the National Guard requires training drills one weekend a month and two weeks per year. National Guard members are given veteran status if they have served for 30 consecutive days in a war zone.