To be honest, nobody really paid attention to IRR because “they’d never activate me”…
Exactly...Folks did their 2, 4, 6 years depending on when they joined. Decided not to re-enlist, turned in their gear and adios.
And officers are eligible for recall at any time, I think.
Either way, this is not a good thing. We have one of the largest militaries on the planet, with the best equipment on said planet, I cannot fathom why reservists need to be activated, unless the active duty folks are going to deploy and the reservists will backfill those assignments.
That or specific jobs are needed. Either way, I’m surprised by this.
It’s only 3000, but a huge talking point politically.
Total time used to be eight years between active duty and IRR. I believe that is still the case, but then again, I’ve been retired for quite awhile now.
An officer with a regular commission has to formally resign his or her commission to avoid being recalled.
Reserve officers do active duty or active reserve time for a few years and complete their service in the IRR; their separation is automatic upon completion of the 8-year total service.