Posted on Aug 14, 2021
Can my company leadership deny me from IST'ing or drilling with a closer unit despite travel/financial hardship?
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I moved down two states for my civilian job approx. two years ago but have been continuing to drive up four hours to continue drilling with my guard unit monthly. In turn I've been having to take time off work in order to travel to my unit's home station but over time it's been putting a burden on me financially as well as my car due to the extended miles monthly. Recently I found a reserve unit 15 minutes away from my home of residence and had previously been in contact with the Army career counselor as well as my leadership to possibly transfer or SUTA drills in my state of residence, but due to a training exercise next year which my brigade is participating in my company leadership has flat out denied me transferring to the reserve unit as well as SUTA'ing with any closer unit until after the exercise. By then however I'll only have one year left on my contract.
If anyone has any wisdom or any other options/course of action which I could consider or contacts I should make I'd very much appreciate it, thank you.
If anyone has any wisdom or any other options/course of action which I could consider or contacts I should make I'd very much appreciate it, thank you.
Posted in these groups: 
Career Advice
Toxic Leadership
Military Career
Career Counselor
Army Reserve Elements
Career Advice Toxic Leadership Military Career Career Counselor Army Reserve Elements
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 9
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If you are Guard and want to simply reassigned to the Reserves it won’t happen, they are two different components.
You need to see the 1SG, and a recruiter for the Reserves along with your in service retention NCO to work through a move, until then you are bound by the current contract. The Army (any component) will see this as a self inflicted hardship, therefore holding you accountable.
You need to see the 1SG, and a recruiter for the Reserves along with your in service retention NCO to work through a move, until then you are bound by the current contract. The Army (any component) will see this as a self inflicted hardship, therefore holding you accountable.
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You can request to IST to your new states National Guard, but that takes time and approval typically goes through your chain, the IST coordinator, JAG, and eventually your LCC or TAG.
You can also request to transfer to the Reserves, but you are effectively leaving one component and signing on to another which typically they want more than a years commitment out of you. Sometimes not, but usually. This also takes time and must go through your chain to the TAG.
I would request an IST as that's more likely and still closer to your new HOR, getting out of the training is not likely but there it is. Your IST can be denied, but I and commanders I have seen have never seen a point in making a Soldier suffer if they can alleviate it with some paperwork unless the Soldier was truly undeserving and even then sometimes they still did it. Knew a guy that moved to Japan to work on aircraft because it was a outstandingly high paying job compared to what he was doing and his chain through TAG signed off on transferring him to IRR.
Every situation is judged on its own merit, and sometimes there's chains that support your life change for your own betterment and sometimes there are petty ones that don't care about you beyond being a number at drill.
So reach out to your career counselor, your readiness NCO, the IST coordinator, and the Guard rep for the State you're currently in and see what your options are. Alternatively a Reserve Recruiter as well or even request a transfer to the IRR. Don't pussyfoot about, let them know what you want and inquire on how to achieve your goal with regular documented follow ups. Meaning that you want to request a counseling on how to proceed and you want to conduct communication through email with all parties. I can tell you verbal anything regardless of the rank it comes from is BS until it's in front of you ready to sign.
By the way, your chain can't deny a transfer request so to speak. Those requests for the Guard go through the LCC and/or TAG which means the intermediate commanders only make a recommendation as to whether or not to transfer you. I could be way off base and it's different for your State, but that's the process for mine. I have also seen the TAG flat out ignore the lower commanders recommendation and approve a transfer. So you never know, generals are quirky sometimes.
You're probably not getting out of this training, but at the very least explore your options for the remainder of your career or reenlistment whichever may come.
You can also request to transfer to the Reserves, but you are effectively leaving one component and signing on to another which typically they want more than a years commitment out of you. Sometimes not, but usually. This also takes time and must go through your chain to the TAG.
I would request an IST as that's more likely and still closer to your new HOR, getting out of the training is not likely but there it is. Your IST can be denied, but I and commanders I have seen have never seen a point in making a Soldier suffer if they can alleviate it with some paperwork unless the Soldier was truly undeserving and even then sometimes they still did it. Knew a guy that moved to Japan to work on aircraft because it was a outstandingly high paying job compared to what he was doing and his chain through TAG signed off on transferring him to IRR.
Every situation is judged on its own merit, and sometimes there's chains that support your life change for your own betterment and sometimes there are petty ones that don't care about you beyond being a number at drill.
So reach out to your career counselor, your readiness NCO, the IST coordinator, and the Guard rep for the State you're currently in and see what your options are. Alternatively a Reserve Recruiter as well or even request a transfer to the IRR. Don't pussyfoot about, let them know what you want and inquire on how to achieve your goal with regular documented follow ups. Meaning that you want to request a counseling on how to proceed and you want to conduct communication through email with all parties. I can tell you verbal anything regardless of the rank it comes from is BS until it's in front of you ready to sign.
By the way, your chain can't deny a transfer request so to speak. Those requests for the Guard go through the LCC and/or TAG which means the intermediate commanders only make a recommendation as to whether or not to transfer you. I could be way off base and it's different for your State, but that's the process for mine. I have also seen the TAG flat out ignore the lower commanders recommendation and approve a transfer. So you never know, generals are quirky sometimes.
You're probably not getting out of this training, but at the very least explore your options for the remainder of your career or reenlistment whichever may come.
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COL Vincent Stoneking
Excellent answer! Glad I saw it before I started typing! And, yes, it cannot be "denied" only "recommend disapproval" until it gets to the TAG or STARC, or whatever they're called right now.
would definitely be the easy way to go, just need the 4187, if both commands want to be cool about it. But there in no requirement for the NG (or the Reserve unit) to do so if they don't want too, at the end of the day. I guess it really comes down to the how hard the NG chain wants to push the "everyone attends" thing when compared to potential morale and associated issues.
Longer term, unless getting out, it would make sense to do a conditional release to the reserves.
would definitely be the easy way to go, just need the 4187, if both commands want to be cool about it. But there in no requirement for the NG (or the Reserve unit) to do so if they don't want too, at the end of the day. I guess it really comes down to the how hard the NG chain wants to push the "everyone attends" thing when compared to potential morale and associated issues.
Longer term, unless getting out, it would make sense to do a conditional release to the reserves.
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SPC (Join to see)
COL Vincent Stoneking - Ultimately I would err on the side of long term morale vs an immediate obligation if it were me. If they keep Joe's around that don't want to be there, that are experiencing a burden by being there, those Joe's are not going to improve the morale of the unit and their productivity will drop. Which of course has the potential to drop those around them. Of course NCO's need to step in and address the issue by trying to motivate the Soldier, but in situations like these it's easy to just let it in one ear and out there other and drive on.
That is the commands problem to deal with as they see fit, but I've seen a lot of both sides and how it plays out sometimes is not the way the command thinks it will and their long term numbers end up suffering.
That is the commands problem to deal with as they see fit, but I've seen a lot of both sides and how it plays out sometimes is not the way the command thinks it will and their long term numbers end up suffering.
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COL Vincent Stoneking
SPC (Join to see) - Oh, I don't disagree. When I was a BC, and I think I did OK in the role... If someone wanted out of my unit, I would make a reasonable effort to change their mind. If it was made up, I wanted them out immediately - unless it could be done sooner. I don't know the full situation, but given the situation as outlined above, I would recommend approval on a conditional release to the Reserves. Of course, BDE might have other ideas and/or drivers that we don't know - as could the State.
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