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Updated January 6, 2020
Defense Primer: Reserve Forces
The term reserve component (RC) refers collectively to the
Reserve Categories
seven individual reserve components of the Armed Forces.
All reservists, whether they are in the Reserves or the
Congress exercises authority over the reserve components
National Guard, are assigned to one of three major reserve
under its constitutional authority “to raise and support
categories: the Ready Reserve, the Standby Reserve, or the
Armies,” “to provide and maintain a Navy,” and “to
Retired Reserve.
provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the
Militia....” (Article I, Section 8)
Ready Reserve
The Ready Reserve is the primary manpower pool of the
There are seven reserve components:
reserve components. Members of the Ready Reserve will
usually be called to active duty before members of the
Army National Guard
Standby Reserve or the Retired Reserve. The Ready
Reserve is made up of three subcomponents:
Army Reserve
The Selected Reserve contains those units and
Navy Reserve
individuals within the Ready Reserve designated as “so
essential to initial wartime missions that they have
Marine Corps Reserve
priority over all other Reserves.” (DOD Instruction
1215.06.) Members of the Selected Reserve are
Air National Guard
generally required to perform one weekend of training
each month and two weeks of training each year,
Air Force Reserve
although some may train more than this. When
reservists are activated, they most frequently come from
Coast Guard Reserve
this category.
The purpose of these seven reserve components, as codified
The Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) is a manpower
in law, is to “provide trained units and qualified persons
pool of individuals who have already received military
available for active duty in the armed forces, in time of war
training, either in the Active Component or in the
or national emergency, and at such other times as the
Selected Reserve. They are not normally required to
national security may require, to fill the needs of the armed
perform training, but can be ordered to active duty under
forces whenever more units and persons are needed than are
certain circumstances.
in the regular components.” (10 U.S.C. 10102) The Army
National Guard and the Air National Guard also have an
The Inactive National Guard (ING) is made up of
important role under state authority, responding to various
those members of the Army National Guard who are in
emergencies such as disasters and civil disorders.
an inactive status (currently there is no ING for the Air
National Guard). The ING is, for practical purposes, the
Difference Between Federal Reserves
National Guard equivalent of the IRR.
and National Guard
The Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve,
There are more than 1 million members of the Ready
Air Force Reserve, and Coast Guard Reserve are
Reserve. This figure is broken down by service and
exclusively federal organizations. There are 54 separate
subcategory in Table 1.
National Guard organizations: one for each state, and one
for Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the
Standby Reserve
District of Columbia. While the District of Columbia
The Standby Reserve contains those individuals who have a
National Guard is an exclusively federal organization and
temporary disability or hardship and those who hold key
operates under federal control at all times, the other 53
defense-related positions in their civilian jobs. They are not
National Guards operate as state or territorial organizations
required to participate in military training and may only be
most of the time. In this capacity, each of these
ordered to active duty in limited circumstances. There are
organizations is identified by its state or territorial name
about 8,400 members of the Standby Reserve.
(e.g., the California National Guard or the Puerto Rico
National Guard) and is controlled by its respective
Retired Reserve
governor. National Guard units and personnel can be
The Retired Reserve includes Reserve personnel who are
ordered into federal service. When this happens, control
receiving retired pay or who transfer into the Retired
passes from the governor of the affected units and
Reserve after qualifying for reserve retirement, but before
personnel to the President of the United States.
becoming eligible to receive retired pay. Members of the
Retired Reserve may be ordered to active duty only in
https://crsreports.congress.gov