At the end of their contract, can someone reenlist into the IRR (no drills, just IRR)?

CPT Carlos Santillan - especially with the latest changes to the program. The not being able to take an APFT unless on active duty slays me.

https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/Individual%20Ready%20Reserve%20Homepage

COL Vincent Stoneking - Unless HRC policies prohibit it, you should be able to ask for nonpaid appropriate duty orders from the IRR, at the minimum. The link provided did not explicitly specify APFT was barred unless on ACDU. Of course the USAR wants you to commit and join TPU, or if not, then from the IRR beg either an AC or RC unit to accept you and then commit yourself, essentially, to their training schedule...for retirement points only. A good idea in theory, but it will likely fail in execution: "Who is this "Jones" guy on the rolls?" "A what, a RESERVE lieutenant colonel is on my rolls, what is he doing, who is he, where is he?" OR, "Wow, Stoneking/Bentley/etc., is senior in rank to me...perhaps awkward even though I"m the CO..."
There is also such a thing as nonpaid active duty for RC members, just have to ask for it. And then convince someone who knows Deep Magic to figure out how to do it and authorize it...Cheers, WKB!

CPT Carlos Santillan - While not likely anyone's first choice, upon reflection, the honor of performing Funeral Honor Duty during funeral details for our fallen brothers and sisters is available to anyone in the Ready Reserve: Selected Reserve and IRR can perform FHD, maximum of one period per calendar day, with a minimum of 2 hours of actual duty, with possibility of travel pay if the funeral is performed outside the reasonable commuting distance from the reservist's home, for 1 reserve retirement point per FHD performed, and one day's basic pay (just like any other period of inactive duty with pay).

Unlike all other forms of inactive duty points, FHD are not limited to the 130 points per fiscal year cap; one could perform a FHD every day of the year, and receive 365 reserve retirement points, and 365 days' basic pay. Of course, that means performing 365 funerals a year.

FHD are not "IDT" Inactive Duty for Training...they are a special, Congressionally-mandated subcategory known as "Inactive Duty." (Only FHD and Muster Duty for members of the IRR's annual muster fall into this category.)

One FHD can be performed in a day, and one other type of IDT (any other type, paid or nonpaid) can also be credited in the same day (maximum of 2 periods of IDT/ID are creditable in the same calendar day).

FHD is the only type of inactive duty that can be performed for pay while a member of the IRR. (Muster duty pay is technically a per diem, not pay.)

Members of the Standby Reserve could perform FHD, but not be paid (although they might be eligible for the VSO Partnership program so their travel expenses were paid).

Retirees and veterans can also perform Funeral Honors, but only through the VSO Partnership program, with travel regulations and reimbursement only (no retirement credit or basic pay).

COL Vincent Stoneking - LTC Stoneking, I am admittedly a retired USMCR officer answering for HRC...but I was the USMCR equivalent of AGR (we call it "Active Reserve" or AR, just to be different than everyone else -- AGR, MilTech, FTS, RPA) for my last 15 years and spent several years in both IRR and Selected Reserve before that in between periods of AC service...so I know a few things, but those things might not be 100% right for the USAR, ARNG, etc.

On a separate RP thread, I recall an interesting discussion with a now-retired USAR Colonel about the way the USAR is trying to deliberately "thin the herd" so to speak with the USAR IRR...the thinking goes: "Either join a USAR or ARNG Selected Reserve (TPU) unit, or find an IMA billet in the Selected Reserve, retire, resign, separate at end of contract, or at worst stay in the IRR but do one of the above things ASAP...because we're coming for you!"

This is scary for me, because I firmly believe(d) in the Operational Reserve, and the IRR can be a vibrant part of that -- when managed and resourced properly.

But the USMCR lost interest in their own IRR by about 2009 or so when the "surge" of new Marines in the AC grew from c. 190K to 212K...thus, why bother with a bunch of "weird" guys in this thing called the IRR...it's not natural anyway to call them up...

So I'm not surprised that the USAR has made it increasingly difficult to remain in the IRR, enforcing all manner of picky little rules, forcing decisions on retirements and resignations earlier than in the past, encouraging/forcing soldiers to volunteer to be "associated" (not sure the exact USAR term) with an AC or RC unit while remaining in the IRR, and then participating in that unit's activities from time to time, but without pay -- for reserve retirement points only.

Now, there is nothing wrong with participating for points only. That has ALWAYS been an option, from the dawn of the current reserve retirement system in the late 1940's, and before that participation with the reserves was usually without pay...and without a defined retirement plan at all! Just did it for fun or to stay with friends, or maybe a contractual obligation after ROTC, etc. Only active duty (and not always even then if the period was short and not a mobilization) was paid, i.e., "2 week summer camps."

But when the IRR policies force participation, without pay for the most part, the boundaries between Selected Reserve and IRR have become blurred. The IRR is necessary as a buffer spring and space between AC and SelRes and the next steps on the mobilization/recall scale (which generally are beginning to recall retirees, the Standby Reserve, and thinking hard about whether there will be a need in the future for a return to the draft...), and this includes breathing space for those who are temporarily between billets in the SelRes (Units and IMA), and whatever is next whether that is another SelRes billet, retirement, resignation, a full length school, transfer between Components (AC/RC, USAR/ARNG, etc.).

I see that now the USAR IRR refuses to credit reserve retirement points for correspondence courses. Having myself benefited from many such points through ACCP back in the day, I find this troubling as well. And it will make earning qualifying reserve retirement years even harder...15 membership points for free, but to make a qualifying year need 50. And after a reservist has 20 qualifying years for reserve retirement, by statute they MUST earn 50 points every year thereafter or be involuntarily retired or transferred to the Standby Reserve (which is usually a one way ticket to nowhere except retirement). So the USAR IRR now coerces members to associate themselves under orders (in the USMCR we call it "Associate Duty Orders") with an AC or RC unit, and drill with that unit for points only to earn at least the other 35 points each year.

But I'm fairly certain that there are still many hidden nooks and crannies in the HRC manuals that are used to manage the IRR for things like:

1. Funeral Honors Duty - FHDs are paid Inactive Duty that even IRR can perform, minimum 2 hours participation on a calendar day, one reserve retirement point per FHD, can be combined with any other type of inactive duty for training for a maximum of 2 points per day, is paid for those in the SelRes or IRR at the same rate as a normal drill, i.e., one day's basic pay, and is exempt from the usual cap on reserve retirement points in a year so you could theoretically perform one per day every day of the year and earn 365 days of basic pay and 365 reserve retirement points...Reserve units usually coordinate these with funeral honors details, along with participation by VSOs such as American Legion and VFW at funerals for vets.

2. "Appropriate duty orders" for such things as assisting with recruiting, local JROTC at a high school, Senior ROTC at a college, even such things as Sea Cadets, Young Marines, the Army equivalent of the Naval Academy's "Blue and Gold" screening teams for potential Academy candidates, the local board of the Selective Service System (uniformed can't join the local draft boards, but can do other things to assist the SSS in their functions), going to professional conferences (in uniform of course!), acting as adjunct faculty at a local military school (regional US Army Cmd and Staff sites, ARNG OCS courses, etc.).

3. Appropriate duty orders (and thus up to 2 points per calendar day, for 4 hours per point of work) are also the way to perform ANY required military duty that isn't otherwise paid by active duty orders or IDT drills/battle assemblies. So a dental or medical appointment to meet an IRR or USAR requirement should be compensated via a reserve retirement point (using appropriate duty orders authorized in advance). And I would include in this any type of military training, authorized by orders in advance, such as running APFT, marksmanship (say shooting in a local leg match for NRA distinguished points, or with the commander's permission shooting whatever weapons they are shooting that day borrowing weapons/time/ammo through advance coordination and preauthorization using the appropriate duty orders). I used to tell my reservists to never do anything "military" without the orders...thus they would get reserve retirement points (but no pay, which was usually a novel and not particularly pleasant concept for those indoctrinated in AC and SelRes participation where you always got paid...but non-paid participation is a very necessary and deep-rooted construct in the IRR even today) for their activity AND would be covered for medical coverage in case something happened like a heart attack while running APFT (it's happened...), shot in a foot or hit by ricochet while shooting, etc. Have to be on authorized orders before the activity begins, and before the injury, to get the protection...

But without correspondence course points, the bar just went way up!

Cheers, LtCol Will Bentley

COL (Join to see) -Sir, by reenlisting into the IRR it keeps them from having to go through MEPS to come back into the reserves. It just takes a DA 4187 (enlisted) or DA 4651 (officer) and a copy of their photo ID to bring them back to an active drilling status.

MSG (Join to see) - I like that process. Although I just retired, the old process was a transition to RC/NG, then a separate request to IRR/ING. It is interesting to see a reenlistment to the IRR from AC. The downside is that transitioning from AC to an RC unit can actually assist in the transition process (social and professional network, sense of stability, member of a team, etc.).

COL (Join to see) - I'm not sure about reenlisting into the IRR from the active component. I'm a 79V, Army Reserve Career Counselor on AGR.

MSG (Join to see) - I would suspect that if the option is available for RC, then it is available for AC as well.

Thank you for the input. how long does the process take to go IRR for the AF Reserve? I moved far away from my unit and I'm not breaking even flying back and forth

SSgt (Join to see) - Your post was 4 months ago; you may have resolved your own question but if not, and for the benefit of the larger RP community, let me hazard an answer for you.
Each Service's reserves maintains regulations that specify things like "reasonable commuting distance." Buried deep inside the USAFR's reserve administration manuals there will be direct guidance on "what happens if an Airman lives, or moves, outside the 'reasonable commuting distance' as defined by the USAFR."
In the USMCR, this is generally, although not always, defined as 100 miles. There can be exceptions for large bodies of water, ferries, islands, tunnels, roads that are impassable with snow part of the year, etc. The USAFR's rules are probably very similar, if not identical.
These regulations are also affected by a reservist's obligated contracts and bonuses. An "obligor," someone who is still serving their 6 year obligated drill service...or someone who otherwise has obligated service remaining such as "pay back tour" from a long active duty school, or their bonuses require continued service, etc.
The reserves don't really care if you break even or not...you either are obligated to serve, or you want to serve. The Services have the authority to pay some of the travel costs for reservists on drills, but only in certain circumstances will they do so. The USMCR targeted some of that funding, limited as it was, toward retention of company grade officers and mid-career NCOs (SSgts mostly). And also used some as incentive for the most highly qualified officers and senior NCOs to apply for and accept command-level positions. SO while it seems counter-intuitive to offer the most highly paid officer in the reserve unit (usually the commander) a travel incentive to pay up to a portion (at the time, it was $300 per drill weekend, up to $3000 per year, I think) of their travel costs to/from drill to command their unit, the USMCR found that there were insufficient highly qualified LtCols and below, and E-9's and E-8's, who were willing to step up and volunteer for command of Battalions, air squadrons, etc. Because being a reserve Battalion or Squadron Commander at the O-5 level is like a full time job...on about 4 days pay per month...very difficult and demanding.
So, it is possible that you might fit into one of the USAFR's categories where they will pay you either a bonus, or a travel incentive, to perform your service in a location and/or billet where you are most needed. In which case, you might transfer interunit to another USAFR unit, using the USAFR's regulations for such a transfer. Such a transfer should not take long at all, possibly accomplished in a few days. Only your administrators could answer.
You might find that a transfer to any State's Air National Guard (or Army National Guard for that matter) would not only bring you continued Service and participation, but also bonuses or other benefits (NG Tuition Assistance or College Tuition Waivers, etc.), AND keep you closer to home. Inter-component transfers like that are not uncommon; your personnel flight will know how to execute it.
Or, you might return to your original question: if you live outside the reasonable commuting distance to your USAFR unit, or ANY USAFR unit at all, AND you are an "obligor" who is required by contract or obligated service to drill, you "MAY" be allowed to transfer to the IRR due to the commuting distance rules. Obligors who transfer to the IRR early may lose out on some benefits (such as the Reserve VA Home Loan Guaranty which can only be earned after 6 qualifying reserve years), and of course the usual reserve benefits such as pay, dental, retirement credit, etc.
Non-obligors, with no obligation to remain in a Selected Reserve USAFR unit, you should be able to just inform your command, sign the paperwork, check out, turn in gear, and walk away. Non-obligors are called that for a reason...they are not obligated to remain in that unit, or any unit, although they may have a contractual obligation to remain in the larger "Ready Reserve," of which the IRR is a big part.

Cool.

SGT Dave Tracy - Chuck up the deuces!

SGT Dave Tracy - There rarely is a case where you 're-enlist' for the IRR. Instead, an individual re-enlists for extension on Active Duty (remain AC), or transition from AC to the RC and you are assigned to the National Guard of Reserves. Once assigned to the NG, you can request to be transferred to the Inactive National Guard (ING) and once assigned to the Reserves, you can request to transfer to the IRR. However, there are changes afoot for the IRR and it is not your father's IRR.

For instance, remaining in the IRR may require completing a 'good year' of service, which is 50 points. Prior to this month, correspondence courses could be used to meet this requirement. This has been eliminated and to achieve a good year, you must complete an Annual Training period(s), course(s) at the school house or perform battle assemblies (drill with a unit). Your challenge with all of these is funding. If you are OK to perform 'drill for points,' then you just need to complete 18 days of drill in a year. Otherwise, meeting the 'good year' requirement can be a challenge.

Finally, transfer to the IRR doesn't mean you can just move on in life. You still have to maintain weight and physical fitness. You will also have to maintain technical and tactical proficiency, despite the lack of training opportunities. And, more importantly, you must be prepared for call-up to perform deployment readiness checks, to support overseas missions and to fulfill a unit commander's readiness exercise. These are low risk but with the current move by HRC to all but eliminate the IRR, expect to find some resistance to your desire to serve in the IRR. Good luck.

COL (Join to see) - This is a surprising, and possibly unwise course of action, to shrink the IRR too far. Yes, there is dead wood, and enhancing the readiness of those who remain is a good thing, but the services have for years not put the resources required to actually hunt down those who have strayed, square them away or separate the from the service, and provide meaningful and paid opportunities to remain relevant.

The IRR is the "strategic" part of the RC...we may want to be an "operational reserve," but we need a bench to draw from and temporarily house those who have talent, and the desire, but cannot at this time participate in the SELRES.

The USMC tried very hard in the mid-2000's to crack down on the wayward flock, find them, classify them, rebuild trust and relationships, but even with involuntary mobilizations ACTUALLY OCCURRING and sending those Marines from the IRR into war with active component Marine units, or Joint commands, we simply lacked the manpower and $$$ to find them all, and in the darkness bind them...so to speak.

Time will tell.

LtCol William Bentley - The effort of reducing the IRR as an option for relatively healthy competent members of the Army has been underway for years. In mid-2000, the Army was demonized for attempting to involuntarily mobilize erroneously IRR affiliated retirees and former members. The primary root cause for this oversight was a failure to resource the IRR and maintain both information and contact with IRR members. Worse, many members were transferred to the IRR during their transition from Active Duty to fulfill their remaining contract. Some were surprised that they had to fulfill their entire 8 year contract and that they were available for mobilization. Others had completed their 8 year commitment and were still retained in the system as mobilization assets, despite the lack of a contract. So, the proposed solution, possibly influence by the Sequestration is to not increase investments in the IRR to monitor and manage assigned members but to minimize IRR as an option and reduce the management requirement. I agree that this negatively impacts our available bench as well as flexibility for each individual to manage their career. But, there is a sense, that if members are not actively participating in the 'war effort' they are not needed.

Mostly true, but you can reenlist in the "Individual Ready Reserve" (IRR). Technically, all reenlistments in the Ready Reserve are in the IRR, because after someone completes their initial obligated service (either active duty or in the SMCR/SelRes), they are completely volunteers.

Well, volunteers that sometimes actually have to remain in the SMCR/SelRes in a training unit or IMA billet because they are receiving a bonus, or wish to remain eligible for MGIB-SR benefits, or other reasons.

By law, the Reserve Component is comprised of three categories:

1. Ready Reserve. The biggest, and most "ready." Mostly reserve and national guard units (the "Selected Reserve," or "SelRes"), but with individuals in the IRR, and some individuals in other categories explained below.
2. Standby Reserve. A very small category, used to warehouse a few specialists with further skills and desire to serve, but for some reason can't do so (examples are Key Employees in high Federal positions, or FBI Agents, or students in a DoD-recognized program of study leading to a religious position such as priest, minister, rabbi, etc.).
3. Retired Reserve. This one is self-explanatory, if you are a reservist of any flavor, and you retire (whether with an active duty pension or a reserve pension), you are transferred to the Retired List of the Retired Reserve.

---> Sidebar: enlisted Navy and Marine Corps retirees, both active duty and reserve, whether receiving a pension or not, who are NOT retired due to disability on the Temporary Disability Retired List (TDRL) or the Permanent Disability Retired List (PDRL), and who have not served a total of 30 cumulative years of enlisted naval service, are transferred to the Fleet Reserve/Fleet Marine Corps Reserve upon "retirement." They remain in the FR/FMCR in a higher state of readiness and mobilization availability than other USN/USMC retirees, and legally are receiving "retainer" pay, rather than "retired pay," because they aren't actually fully retired until they have 30 total years of service...the distinctions are effectively moot in this day and age, but originally the FR/FMCR was designed to provide a quick and easy way to recall retirees with special naval skills to active duty, but in the last 75 years nobody has seen fit to abolish this little obscure holding area. Time "served" in the FR/FMCR counts toward the 30 years requirement, and while it is technically possible to compel a member of the FR/FMCR to perform a certain amount of service and training, it simply isn't done, so for all practical purposes it IS retirement...even though legally it is not. No USN/USMC officers, no chief/warrant officers, or disability retirees are in the FR/FMCR, and NOBODY from any other branches of the Service goes to the FR/FMCR, not even the Coast Guard. It's a little anachronism that just applies to the USN/USMC. When the member reaches 30 total years of enlisted service, they are automatically (by law) transferred without any actions required on their part from the FR/FMCR to the Retired List of their respective Service:
a. Retired List of the Regular Navy.
b. Retired List of the Regular USMC.
c. Retired List of the Reserve Navy.
d. Retired List of the Reserve USMC.

Other than those obligated to serve at a higher level of readiness within the Ready Reserve, the baseline is the IRR. Those in the IRR are permitted to volunteer for a higher level of readiness; we often call these "MTU's." It's an old concept, and mostly gone now except for a few die-hard MTU units who drill without pay to maintain readiness and do some types of work (example is the MFR marksmanship training unit, that visits units around the nation to help with marksmanship).

Those who are obligated to do so, or volunteer to do, may serve in the Selected Reserve, which is a higher level of readiness than the IRR within the Ready Reserve.

Within the SELRES, there are predominantly organized reserve units with the standard participation requirement of 1 weekend a month, 2 weeks a year, for about 62 days of pay and retirement credit completed in about 39 calendar days of duty (one of the advantages of reserve service...the pay isn't bad for the amount of time put in, and you get about 1.5 days pay equivalent for each of the 39 calendar days of duty...).

---> SIDEBAR: it breaks down like this for a standard SELRES participation:
a. 48 "drills" or "Inactive Duty Training" periods per fiscal year (Oct to Sep), with each drill usually being about 4 hours long, so up to 2 drills can be completed in a calendar day.
b. Each drill is equivalent to one day's basic pay (without any allowances such as subsistence/food or housing/quarters), and one day's retirement credit.
c. In theory, the drills can be performed in any schedule during the year, subject to the Commander's training program, whether one or two per day, one per week for 48 consecutive weeks, in a single block of 24 straight days, or the most common arrangement of 4-5 drills for a weekend, once per month.
d. Plus between 12-15 days of Annual Training (AT), which is active duty performed in 24 hour blocks and credited at the rate of one day's pay AND allowances, and one day's retirement credit, for every 24 hours under orders. Most periods of AT are not split, and are performed continuously until completed for that year, but the Commander's requirements and Service policy may dictate a different method such as 7 days at one time, and 7 more days later in the year, etc.

Also within the SELRES, there is the highest level of readiness, which consists of "Full Time Support." Each Service calls it slightly different, but the functions remain the same: organize, train, equip, recruit, and provide leadership for the Reserve Component.

USMC = Active Reserve
USN = Full Time Support
AUS/NGAUS = Active Guard Reserve and Military Technicians
USAF/NGAFUS = Active Guard Reserve and Military Technicians
USCG = Reserve Program Administrators

All FTS are volunteers, all will remain reservists in the SELRES for the duration of their FTS service, most have an obligated service contract for 2-3 years on active duty (BUT STILL AS A RESERVIST!) initially and then may become "careerists" in the FTS program and serve until retirement or separation. They may also occasionally augment to the Active Component, or choose to drop down to a SELRES or IRR status. IF they serve long enough, FTS may achieve active duty retirements at 20+ years (mine was 28 years).

To reiterate: FTS are RESERVISTS, and they remain reservists as long as they serve in the FTS, and if they retire from the FTS they will join the Retired Reserve category of the Reserve Component, not the Retired List of the Active Component.

AND: you can enlist, or reenlist, into the IRR. Each Service has different biases and rules about this, and to a greater or lesser extent make it hard or easy to remain, and to accrue retirement credit or promotions while in the IRR.