Has anyone had success balancing a career as a defense contractor along with being a member of the Army National Guard?

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 13:03:25 -0400

Response by COL Dana Hampton made Apr 6 at 2018 1:09 PM

COL Dana Hampton — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 13:09:27 -0400

Yes, I was working as a contractor for the TN National Guard and was a drilling member as well until retirement. I have 4 M-day Guard members working for me on my contract now. 2 NCOs (Air and Army) and 2 officers (a CPT and a MAJ).

There is no issue working around drill, schools and AT. In fact the MAJ is attending active duty ILE at Leavenworth now. The contract company fully supports USERRA and it would work to their detriment if they violated federal law.

I'm sure there are others who've have negative experiences. I cannot say that. My experience has been very positive.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 6 at 2018 1:40 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 13:40:43 -0400

Yes, In the short term. What would you like to know?

Response by Maj Marty Hogan made Apr 9 at 2018 1:28 PM

Maj Marty Hogan — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 13:28:36 -0400

Contractor no. Dual status technician and bank examiner yes.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 17 at 2018 6:57 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 06:57:47 -0400

I've only been doing it for a few months but my contract company is very supportive.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Apr 17 at 2018 9:25 AM

SGM Bill Frazer — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 09:25:38 -0400

Hmm, that could be a real bear-- How do you handle drills, musters, deployments, etc. I can see a bunch of problems there. IRR or USAR would probably be a better way.

Response by LTC John Wilson made Jul 25 at 2018 6:33 PM

LTC John Wilson — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 18:33:12 -0400

As one who is presently a TPU in the USAR and a defense contractor, it all depends on what you're doing and where you're working.

If you're looking at defense contracting overseas, balance may be difficult to achieve balance. When I began a contract overseas, I moved to the Inactive Guard and was slotted in a TDA unit as my location made it nearly impossible to drill regularly. If you have adequate leave off from your contract to make up drill dates and annual training, in a given year, there may be an opportunity to arrange block training with your command (provided policies and regulations support it).

If you're working domestically, your contractor work is really no different than a typical job that requires the usual give and take; however, military contract companies are usually more flexible with time off for military duty than the average civilian employer.

I have found that my present contract work and my USAR assignment enhance each other. My unit, my company, and I all benefit from the cross pollination.

The only caveat is to beware potential conflicts of interest.