Posted on Nov 9, 2017
How can you switch from active duty to National Guard?
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Yep DD 368, the recruiters will fill it out for the most part. After that, the process of sending/routing it through your command will begin. Had to do it PLENTY of times.
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SPC (Join to see)
How soon can that be done? Do I need to have a year in service first or can I just start the process to switch to the guard now? This is something I have been wanting to know as well.
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McKell Sorensen
Is going from active to reserve/guard possible if you you’ve graduated from AIT and are in holding? If so, how and who would you talk to about doing so?
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I went through the DD Form 368. Major pain in the ass, and depending on your S shops, it could take 3 months to 8 months to even be completed.
I tried to go active from National Guard. These are the steps I had to take, hope it helps:
Obtain the 368 from the recruiter at a National Guard armory that you want to attend. Be mindful, you will need to have a job that the state needs. Otherwise, you will have to attend a re-class school. But I hear those are kickin'.
The state will look at it's needs, see what spots are open. If it's a simple transition with the same MOS, even better.
Your commander needs to sign your 368. It's a good idea to get a recommendation from your PSG and LT and hand those in with your 368 request. Hopefully you aren't a blue falcon. It's Active Duty to NG, so everyone is going to give you a lot of grief about it. Be prepared for that. Your commander will probably ask you why you want to switch. If he approves it, it goes up to your BC, maybe higher. For the National Guard, we had ours go to the Adjutant General and he had to sign it. Not sure what active duty has to do.
If your commander and the next higher up has signed in approval, you turn that 368 into the recruiter right away. Just remember, those 368's have an expiration date. Try and get your recruiter to have it be a year long release, hopefully your commander will sign off on that.
You'll be signing a whole new contract with the Guard. They're separate entities. You'll have to go through all the same paperwork all over again, get a whole new packet, etc. It's a process.
On the flip side:
You can attend school while Active Duty. I really recommend looking at that. It's possible. It's Peace Time Army. Use the benefits you have. The federal government has a lot more money than a national guard's budget.
In the end, it's your choice. Again, those are the steps the Army national guard had to do. It should hopefully be somewhat similar on your end. You need signatures, and that's it. But it will take. A. Very. Long. Time.
I tried to go active from National Guard. These are the steps I had to take, hope it helps:
Obtain the 368 from the recruiter at a National Guard armory that you want to attend. Be mindful, you will need to have a job that the state needs. Otherwise, you will have to attend a re-class school. But I hear those are kickin'.
The state will look at it's needs, see what spots are open. If it's a simple transition with the same MOS, even better.
Your commander needs to sign your 368. It's a good idea to get a recommendation from your PSG and LT and hand those in with your 368 request. Hopefully you aren't a blue falcon. It's Active Duty to NG, so everyone is going to give you a lot of grief about it. Be prepared for that. Your commander will probably ask you why you want to switch. If he approves it, it goes up to your BC, maybe higher. For the National Guard, we had ours go to the Adjutant General and he had to sign it. Not sure what active duty has to do.
If your commander and the next higher up has signed in approval, you turn that 368 into the recruiter right away. Just remember, those 368's have an expiration date. Try and get your recruiter to have it be a year long release, hopefully your commander will sign off on that.
You'll be signing a whole new contract with the Guard. They're separate entities. You'll have to go through all the same paperwork all over again, get a whole new packet, etc. It's a process.
On the flip side:
You can attend school while Active Duty. I really recommend looking at that. It's possible. It's Peace Time Army. Use the benefits you have. The federal government has a lot more money than a national guard's budget.
In the end, it's your choice. Again, those are the steps the Army national guard had to do. It should hopefully be somewhat similar on your end. You need signatures, and that's it. But it will take. A. Very. Long. Time.
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Are you wanting to jump ship in the beginning of your Active Duty contract and switch to Guard right now?
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MSG (Join to see)
SPC (Join to see) - The Conditional Release would go up at least to your first General Officer in your chain (and probably HRC). In your case, Step 1 should be notifying your NCO(s) of your intent, then speak with your Retention NCO to confirm what steps further you will need to complete.
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