Would the National Guard or Reserves provide more opportunities for promotions and advancements?

Brandi Schultz — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 03:35:34 -0500

I am working on a BA degree and almost done. I am thinking of joining either the national guard or reserve and going in as an officer.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 11 at 2017 7:50 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 07:50:05 -0500

The National Guard is well known for being very difficult to advance in. Because it's a state force and quite small, you have to wait for someone else to vacate the position you're moving up into, which can take quite a while.

The reserves also tends to offer more support jobs, but this widely varies based on your area. Go talk to a recruiter, see what's even near you. If there was a guard unit 10 minutes away, but you'd have to drive 250 miles per reserve unit... I'm sure that would also impact your choice.

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Dec 11 at 2017 8:07 AM

CPT Lawrence Cable — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 08:07:34 -0500

IMO, it is easier and faster to get promoted in the Army National Guard until you hit the rank of Major. At that point, since in the National Guard you are only dealing with a single state's manpower, the ranks above that tend to have people "camped" on them, while the Army Reserve is dealing with positions nationally as long as you are willing to travel. It would also depend on your branch. The Army National Guard is Combat heavy, has a lot of Engineers, MP's and Medical units, all of which would generally promote on schedule through Captain.
The other "Advantage" to starting in the Army National Guard is that there are several option of how you go through Officer Candidate School, depending on the state. Most will let you attend the Federal Program at lovely Fort Benning, Ga., some have an accelerated State version of the Active Duty school, or you can attend an extended version that takes a bit over a year, but includes two Annual Training periods and then your monthly drills are at OCS for the remaining time. All require that you complete Basic Combat Training first. If you go Army Reserve, the Federal Active Duty course is where you will land. I have no experience with the Accelerated Version, but as a warning, OCS is not fun.

Response by CW4 Russ Hamilton (Ret) made Dec 11 at 2017 11:40 AM

CW4 Russ Hamilton (Ret) — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 11:40:41 -0500

Keep in mind if you enlist, oftentimes you can get technical schools that are not available to officers - schools that will provide certifications that are very expensive to obtain otherwise such as cyber security. Enlisting can also lead to becoming a warrant officer, whom are commissioned upon reaching the grade W-2 and you can progress to W-5. Knowing you college major and minor along with career interests would be helpful.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 11 at 2017 1:02 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 13:02:09 -0500

Reserve, hands down. If you commission in the Reserve it’s federal; however if you commission in the guard it’s almost always a state commission not recognized by federal. I’ll be happy to complete your packet.

Response by SMSgt Thor Merich made Dec 11 at 2017 3:11 PM

SMSgt Thor Merich — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 15:11:35 -0500

You may also want to look at other branches besides the Army. While only the Army and Air Force are in the National Guard, all the services have a Reserve component including the Coast Guard.

Response by Brandi Schultz made Dec 11 at 2017 10:54 PM

Brandi Schultz — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 22:54:56 -0500

I forgot to add that I am 28.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 12 at 2017 12:11 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 00:11:41 -0500

The biggest difference for you is gonna be that national guard is a state organization amd the army reserves is a federal organization. Federal organization means federal funding, which is a significantly larger pool. There was a period back when i was in afghanistan that the natl guard wasnt even paying their guys. Reserves offers the opportunity to move to different states to work if the need arises because you still fall under the same parent org regardless of where you are. Promotions are faster in the reserves- it is a larger group and therefore positions open up a lot more often. And if it turns out you love it you can always sign a conditional release to swap over to active duty. Id say reserves all day

Response by CW3 Kevin Storm made Mar 9 at 2018 9:39 AM

CW3 Kevin Storm — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 09:39:50 -0500

National Guard: Depends on the career field, how inept the state is at promotions and management of its force.