Guard vs. Reserves

There are two branches of service in the United States Military that have both a Guard and a Reserve.  The Army is supported by the Army National Guard and the Army Reserves while the Air Force is supported by the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserves.  Ever wonder about the difference between the Guard and Reserves?  Here is some information about the difference with help from my friend, First Lieutenant Jacob Fry (PA National Guard).

National Guard:

The National Guard is a state asset, meaning that each state funds and operates its own National Guard.  They are not federally funded or under the authority of the federal government.  The National Guard houses the combat types of units and MOS’s (Military Occupational Specialty).  For example, the National Guard has infantry, armor, artillery, and even Special Forces units while the Reserves have mainly support MOS’s and no combat units.  While the overall mission is very similar to the Reserves in scope, the National Guard also serves during times of natural disasters or other internal emergencies.  This is due to the fact that the Guard is a state asset and therefore easier to mobilize than the Reserves.  Also due to the fact that the Guard is state funded, soldiers in the Guard receive slightly different education benefits depending on whether they attend a state school or not i.e. Penn State, Kutztown, etc.  The last major difference has to do with promotion and unit assignment.  Soldiers compete for promotions only against other soldiers from their state and cannot be forced to move to a unit outside of that state. 

Reserves:

First and foremost the Reserves are a federal asset, meaning they are funded, controlled, and under the authority of the federal government.  The Reserves possess mainly support MOS’s such as military police, transportation, etc.  The Guard can also possess these types of MOS’s but the Reserves have a greater number of these types.  The Reserves can also serve in a time of need other than an overseas deployment.  However, it is slightly more difficult to mobilize than the National Guard.  In terms of education, soldiers in the Reserves are eligible to receive different kinds of federal tuition assistance that may not be available to soldiers in the National Guard.  Because the Reserves are a federal organization, soldiers compete for promotion with a much larger number of other soldiers.  This is beneficial because it greatly increases their chances of being promoted.  However, they are not guaranteed to stay within their state and may have to move to a unit outside their state to fill that promotion slot.  They may also be “cross-leveled,” which means they can be transferred to another unit without their explicit consent.