Air Force Active Duty, Air Force Reserves and the Air National Guard, what’s the difference?
In this video, I will explain the differences, the pros and cons each component has to offer
and why I decided to transition at my 10-year mark from active duty to the reserves. If
you are new to my channel, my name is Jon Cruz, I’m 27 years old and I’ve served
in the United States Air Force for 8.5 years. The goal of my channel is to help you be successful
before, during, and after your military career by sharing my tips, tricks, and life experiences
from my time in the Air Force to my transition into the business world. Be sure to subscribe
to my YouTube channel, click the notification bell at the button, and comment below what
you’d like me to make a future video on. Now that you know what my channel is about
and who I am, let’s get started!
So what’s the difference between Air Force Active Duty, Air Force Reserves, and the Air
National Guard? Air Force Active Duty is a component of the federal government and is
a full-time military commitment. Active Duty military members enlist or commission on a
fixed contract where they will serve out their 4- or 6-year commitment. Some of the pros
of Active Duty is that you receive a secure paycheck twice a month, earn 30 days
of leave per year, have access to all military benefits such as housing, tuition assistance,
medical coverage, dental coverage, life insurance, legal assistance, and much more. Active Duty
members are also entitled a 20-year pension plan that allows you to retire after 20 years
of service and receive a paycheck for the rest of your life.
Some of the Cons of Active Duty is that it can be overwhelming for many career
fields and cause hardships on families due to constant deployments, TDY’s, or long
working hours. In Active Duty you work full time and around the clock! This includes several
holidays, birthdays, and special events with your families that you may never get back.
You are essentially on call 24/7 even on your days off and can be recalled for any number
of reasons even if you are on leave. Active Duty can also be difficult because you are
constantly being assigned to new bases every four to six years which can be very difficult
for those who want to settle down.
This can also be negative if you are in a stateside assignment where you are typically
assigned for a much longer duration compared to overseas assignments. A lot of friends
I went to Tech School with experienced this and were stuck at a stateside assignment for
almost their entire career whereas I had to relocate three times to three different countries
overseas. For some people, being assigned in the states
for a longer duration could be what is better for them and their families due to an endless
amount of reasons. For other people being stuck in the same area for a long time could
be horrible and they might want to be overseas instead where you can travel and experience
different cultures. A lot of my friends who are stationed stateside have either told me
that they love their assignment, they absolutely hate it, or that they want to go overseas.
I have also heard the same thing from my friends who have been stationed overseas their whole
career so I guess it really depends on your aspirations and where you’re at in life.
For me personally I loved moving to new assignments while I was overseas because each new base
brought new experiences, friends, and a chance to grow. By the time I transition into the
reserves I will have completed nearly 10 years of my career in Europe. I have loved all of
my experiences overseas but I now feel that I am ready to go back to the United States.
I think one of my main sacrifices of active duty is the time commitment, missed birthdays,
holidays, and family events that you will never get back.
Active Duty after all is a full-time commitment and you’re either built for it or you’re
not. If you don’t think that you are up for a full-time commitment and just want to
serve on a part time basis, there is also the Air Force Reserves and Air National Guard.
Both of these components give you more freedom to pursue another career or to continue going
to school while only having to serve on a part time basis.
The cool thing about the Reserves and Guard though is that you still will receive military
benefits and get paid during your weekend duty. Of course, the pay and the benefits
are not going to be the same as an active-duty member but you will still reap majority of
the benefits.
Air Force Reserves and the Air National Guard have a lot of similarities and also a lot
of differences. These components are both a part-time gig and can also be a full-time
gig. If you volunteer and are selected to serve on active-duty orders or active-guard
reserve, you are essentially filling the same role as an Active Duty member and are working
full time. According to my In-Service recruiter, the
main differences between the Reserves and Guard is the chain of command you fall under.
The Reserves, is a Federal Agency which means you are still working under the Federal government
and receive Federal funding and the same Federal benefits as an Active Duty member.
Whereas the Guard is a State Agency and is essentially considered a State Militia. Being
a State Agency means that you are paid by the State and will not be completely covered
to receive all federal benefits and entitlements if you are activated by the State under any
State Emergencies. In the Guard, you work for the Governor of the State first and then
the Federal government second.
In the Air Force Reserves and the Air National Guard you are required to report to duty only
one weekend per month and complete two weeks of annual training per year. There are also
a couple different programs under each component which I will cover in a future video.
One of these programs that I am applying for is the IMA program under the Reserves. The
IMA program allows me to conduct all of my duty and annual training in 36 days consecutively
instead of reporting in every weekend like a traditional reservist. The IMA program also
lets you serve at any unit overseas depending on vacancies and is much more flexible compared
to a traditional reservist or guardsmen.
In both components, you can also be activated by the Commander in Chief for any National
Emergency or be deployed at a moment’s notice if needed. While both components are primarily
a part time job, you will still have to make sacrifices and could still potentially miss
holidays, birthdays, and family events.
I have been told by my friends who transitioned into the Reserves or Guard, that their type
of weekend training and amount of funding can both be different. My friends who are
in the Air National Guard said that it really depends on the State that you intend to join
because each state has different benefits and are controlled by different legislations.
Not all Air National Guard units are the same and some may even have different requirements.
My friends who transitioned from Active Duty to the Reserves or Guard said that it is the
best kept secret in the Air Force because you get to attend a lot more training courses
and get to volunteer for more deployments and TDY’s compared to their time in Active
Duty. So why did I decide to transition from Active
Duty to the Reserves? Now that I am married and I am ready to settle down my priorities
have changed and so have my ambitions in life. The Air Force has blessed me a lot and has
changed my mindset, work ethic, and outlook on life. During this time of learning I have
found that my true ambition and passion lies within the business world and entrepreneurship.
I feel like joining the Reserves will allow me to still serve my country while also having
more time to spend with my family and more time to focus on my business ambitions. Becoming
an entrepreneur has led me to aim higher and shoot for what people would think is impossible.
I truly believe that you should always invest in yourself first by expanding your knowledge
and financial literacy through reading and by taking risks. I’m pretty scared shitless
for the unknown and leaving a secure job on the table but I’d rather take the risk chasing
something I love doing instead of feel regret for the rest of my life asking what if?
Currently, I am working on my Master’s Degree in Leadership and my real estate license and
plan to move back home to California, where I will partner with some of my friends that
I served as a Defender with. I plan to use my skills, knowledge and abilities acquired
from the military to excel in the real-estate market and the business world. The great thing
about the military is that it gives you all of the tools you need to be successful and
there are so many veteran programs out there that are designed to help you succeed. All
that you have to do is go out there, put in the work and execute on your plan!
I hope that this video has clarified for you what the differences are between Air Force
Active Duty, Air Force Reserve, and the Air National Guard and that it has helped you
make an informed decision on which component is best suited for you and your family’s
needs. I also hope that my explanation to you on why I decided to transition from Active-Duty
to Reserves has given you a better understanding of how you can make the most of each component
to suit your needs.
As always, if you found this video helpful and would like to learn more from my tips,
tricks, and life experiences in the Air Force and into the business world, be sure to subscribe
to my YouTube channel and hit the notification bell on the bottom so that you too can be
successful before, during and after the military! Thank you for watching my video if you have
any further questions please let me know! Peace!