How hard is it to transfer between states in ARNG (FL to HI)?

SSG Don Moss — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 08:16:10 -0400

My 17 yo son is joining the ARNG as a 35M. He is signing a 3-yr contract this week He will drill with his unit immediately but cannot ship to BCT until Oct/Nov. After that he attends DLI for 9 mos and then AIT. When it is all said and done he will have about 6 mos left on his contract when he finishes AIT. At that point, he may want to attend college in a different state (he was accepted to Univ of Hawaii Manoa). Would he be allowed to move from his unit in our home state to Hawaii ARNG at that time? Not sure if they have 35M slots in Honolulu. He would want to do ROTC at UH. Any insight would help.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 28 at 2020 9:39 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 09:39:10 -0400

Depends. Is there an open slot for his MOS and rank? Is the "gaining unit" wanting to take him? Is the "losing unit" willing to let him go? Those are his 3 hurdles to overcome. Phone calls and leg work is gonna need to happen. Because, if there is a NO for any one of those 3 hurdles, then he won't be transferring.

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 28 at 2020 9:58 AM

2LT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 09:58:37 -0400

First off congratulations and thank you.
Let me clarify one point, your son has signed a three year contract but it includes an eight year statutory obligation. He'll drill for three years and then, unless he chooses otherwise, will transfer to the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) for the remaining five years.

Your son has several options. A TPU transfer is common and only requires a few forms. He would have to reach out to the HIARNG to see if they have available positions.
He could transfer to the Army Reserve, transferring between units is a lot easier as the National Guard try hard to hold onto their Soldiers.
The key for your son in any situation is to stay in communication with his unit and to ask if he doesn't know who to talk to.

Response by Lt Col Brett Meyer made Apr 28 at 2020 10:26 AM

Lt Col Brett Meyer — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 10:26:31 -0400

Easy if they have a slot for your MOS

Response by SSG Rick Austin made Apr 28 at 2020 11:05 AM

SSG Rick Austin — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 11:05:38 -0400

My Son is also a 35M in Colorado, but lives in KY. Due to his MOS, the unit pays for his travel every month. They would not allow him to transfer because there are no open slots for 35M in KY, but he is not DLA Qualified He has been awaiting a slot for 3 years now. If Hawaii has a slot open, especially if he is DLA Qualified (thats the hardest part) that state would take him in a heartbeat. Now, the issue is, will his current state release him. The've just spent a boatload of money, and time, to train him in a very important MOS. The actual transfer is relatively ease if HI has a slot and his unit will release hm.. its just a paperwork shuffle. Remember, the military will not pay for his travel nor move his household goods since he is NG. Best of luck to him and safety wishes for you and your family.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 28 at 2020 11:06 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 11:06:48 -0400

Shouldn't be a problem. He should use the UMR to find slot spots for that state.

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Apr 28 at 2020 2:56 PM

CPT Lawrence Cable — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 14:56:28 -0400

Yes, he can transfer to another state's ARNG units. How easy it is depends on following the procedures and I will post a link to that here. The basics are getting the Readiness NCO at the unit and the Interstate Transfer Coordinator at the State level involved as soon as he knows where he is going and where. It doesn't hurt to do some homework and find a unit that has a slot already, but the job of the IST in both states are supposed to handle that part of it anyway. Here are the rules. https://www.nationalguard.com/how-to-transfer-to-another-state

Army National Guard

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 29 at 2020 1:29 AM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 29 Apr 2020 01:29:55 -0400

Just to caveat off of everyone else, keep in kind that if he has enlisted with a bonus and he transfers units he will most likely lose that bonus.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 29 at 2020 2:04 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 29 Apr 2020 14:04:07 -0400

I would recommend contacting UHs ROTC Scholarships and Admissions (ROO) Officer to see what they can do to assist your sons transition.

Up front it is an easy process to transfer-hard part is wading through the levels, ensuring you understand the states challenges with manning, and developing in roads to find the right folks to make it happen.

I saw the state guard readiness officer/NCO in each state as a great way to get it done. Working with Local ROtC Battalion also was a great way to go. Last but more tenuous way but doable is to call the state guard recruiters in the area/State you want and see how that can help-as they know the personalities and the secret sauce usually.