Question about commissioning

The program you're looking for is called Call to Active Duty. The rules are published in a MIlPER message and change every so often. Last I had heard it was limited to officers in certain branches (Civil Affairs is the only one I can remember) and you couldn't apply until you were a Captain.
 
mbitr said:
The program you're looking for is called Call to Active Duty. The rules are published in a MIlPER message and change every so often. Last I had heard it was limited to officers in certain branches (Civil Affairs is the only one I can remember) and you couldn't apply until you were a Captain.
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Yup you see it open every once in a while but the last one was limited to a select few branches.

In short it doesn't happen very often unless you are med or jag.
 
ABF said:
It isn't easy. When it does happen, it's more like a NG officer that finishes grad / medical / law school and go on to active duty as a JAG, RN, Dentist, MD or something like that. There was also, back in the day, a program where the top students at their basic course got an offer of active duty if they were RC soldeirs.

That being said... Every reserve component unit has several soldiers and officers that are full time reservists. The Army Reserve and NG has a program where they can put you on full time orders for four years at a time to administratively support the reserve unit. (After all, the unit can't run with people only showing up one weekend per month!) There is plenty of work to do M-F, and those Active Gaurd / Reserve (AGR) soldiers keep the machine running througout the month. Most AGR soldiers and officers string five or more of those tours together and retire as 'full timers" with regular retirement benefits. And, if they plan it right, they can stay generally in the same area for all twenty years of their military career and not have to drag a family all over the globe.
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Thanks so much. I never really thought about that aspect of the Reserves. Someone does have to run the units. Make sense. I just had a duh moment.:shake:
 
AGR is one of the best kept secrets in the Army to be honest
 
cajuncarrier said:
Is it difficult to get AGR? What is the competition like for those slots?
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A lot is who you know to be honest but when you lock one down you can stay forever. In general I would say the jobs are competitive and there aren't many for LTs, mostly NCOs and CPT+.
 
cajuncarrier said:
Is it difficult to get AGR? What is the competition like for those slots?
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It's true that once you are into the system, you can usually stay on as an AGR as long as you perform to standard. It's much like interviewing form a job at a major company. You must impress. Competition is tough, but not insurmountable. When you finish an assignment, it's up to you to track down another assignment that will fit your current grade and apply for that new gig.

As for "who you know"... yes, that's a very big factor, especially (from what I hear) with the National Guard. I've noticed that state (Army) Guard systems are just short of inbred when it comes to such assignments.

Along with the full time work (and full time military bennies / retirement) the AGR folks promote on the "active duty timelines". As you might now, in the reserve components (with very few exceptions) members promote much slower than their active duty counterparts. Not so with AGR.
 
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