What is the difference between Serving as a US Army Reserve Officer and serving as a US Army National Guard Officer?

2019-12-29T16:52:37-05:00

Can anyone please tell me the major differences be serving as a US Army Reserve Officer and serving as a US Army National Guard Officer? Which branch guarantees steady career progression with respect to promotions? Do both branches wear the same uniforms? Do both branches have the same ranks and conditions of service?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 29 at 2019 7:21 PM

2019-12-29T19:21:30-05:00

Typically in the Army Reserves you have more room to grow.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 29 at 2019 7:33 PM

2019-12-29T19:33:05-05:00

Both are important members of the military. Both support the main armed services in time of need.

Which is better as an officer depends first upon what branch officer you want to be. Medical? JAG? Infantry/line? Next depends on your AOC or job. Guard typically is more limited in terms of what positions are open in your state whereas reserves you could live in 1 state and be assigned to a unit several states away. Me for instance I live in Ohio and I’m assigned to a unit in North Dakota.

Transferring - easier to transfer in the reserves than in the guard as there are nationwide options vs just your state so really it means more choices. Also it means better promotion opportunities in the reserves vs the guard.

There are a lot of benefits of the guard vs the reserves though. Many states don’t tax your drill pay in the guard. Many states give free or reduced tuition for colleges for the state you serve in. You also get the pride of knowing you can serve your own state as well as the nation. This part though can be a double edged sword. You technically serve 2 masters in the guard. Your state and the nation. Both can deploy you and put you to work. Natural disaster in your state? Your governor can pull you from your civilian job and put you on duty. Your governor can also work with the president and congress and deploy you overseas (I’ve seen this done in some states to gain political points for governors looking to move up the food chain). The reserves only congress and the president can put you on orders not a governor.

So those are kind of the major pros and cons of reserves vs. guard.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 29 at 2019 10:06 PM

2019-12-29T22:06:35-05:00

Both are components of the Army so they wear the same uniform and have the same rank system. The only difference is that the Army Reserves is federally funded and regulated like Active Duty Army is, and the National Guard is state funded and regulated. On the Enlisted side of the house career progression and growth is better in the reserves. I would imagine it would be the same for the Officer side of the house in the Reserves. Speaking from experience (being prior National Guard) the national guard has limited growth compared to the reserves. Career progression is all on the soldier.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 30 at 2019 2:58 AM

2019-12-30T02:58:20-05:00

Having served in the Regular Army, National Guard and now the Army Reserve I'm actually surprised how different they are. They each have their strengths and weaknesses. If you have a MOS that is prevalent in your states National Guard, That's a good route to go. If you're in a lower density MOS you may need to go to the reserve and travel quite a distance to your unit. Both provide career progression about the same though they work differently. The strengths I saw in the Guard are unit cohesion, Personnel Administration, Officer Career management. The strengths of the Reserve are funding, and a much wider range of jobs to select from. I see the Army reserve as the "Army of One" It's a bunch of individual Soldiers managing their own careers who all show up and form a unit sometimes.

Just my $0.02

Your experience may vary.