Serving as a National Guard soldier provides invaluable training, experience, and benefits However, some reach a point where they want to transition to full-time active duty Army service for greater opportunity and career development
Switching components sounds straightforward but involves navigating substantial bureaucracy. By understanding the process, thoroughly preparing, and persistently advocating for your goals, you can make this major move successfully.
Follow this comprehensive guide to transfer from National Guard to active duty Army smoothly
Step 1: Ensure You Meet Basic Eligibility Criteria
Active duty transferees must meet Army enrollment standards for:
- Age – Must be under age 40
- Fitness – Pass physical fitness test within 30 days
- Weight/Body Fat – Meet standards
- Medical – Meet retainability guidelines
- Conduct – No active UCMJ, APFT failures, or adverse actions
- Time Remaining – At least 3 years left on your contract
Confirm you meet all prerequisites. If not, work on any problem areas first before initiating the transfer process.
Step 2: Discuss Plans with Leadership
Make your chain of command aware of your transfer plans as early as possible. Have a candid discussion about:
- Reasons you want to switch from Guard to active duty
- Ideal timeline for transfer
- How you can make the transition smoothly
Giving ample notice ensures your leaders can prepare for your pending move. It also provides time to complete any administrative requirements on their end.
Step 3: Consult with an Active Duty Recruiter
Schedule a meeting with an active duty Army recruiter to discuss your situation and plans. Key topics to cover:
- Confirming you meet eligibility requirements
- Available opportunities aligned with your goals
- Document checklist for your transfer packet
- Timeline expectations for processing your request
Recruiters guide many Guard to active transfers. Their expertise navigates you through the bureaucratic process efficiently.
Step 4: Identify Active Duty Opportunities
Research active duty jobs, locations, and units aligned with your interests. Scout opportunities through:
- Recruiter guidance
- Active duty job postings
- Military career counselors
- Online forums and networking
Pinpoint open slots matching your career field, rank, and aspirations. This enables you to transfer directly into the right fit rather than a random assignment.
Step 5: Complete and Submit Required Paperwork
Work closely with your recruiter to complete transfer documents fully and accurately. Required paperwork includes:
- Conditional Release Form – Approved by your unit commander
- SF-86 Security Clearance Form
- 1610 Inter-Component Transfer Form
- DD Form 368 Conditional Release
- Your last 3 NCOERs/OERs
Submit documents on schedule. Follow up persistently to confirm receipt and status. Meet all bureaucratic requirements proactively.
Step 6: Request Letters of Recommendation
Ask commanders to write letters endorsing your character, competence, and readiness to transfer and succeed on active duty.
Include recommendations highlighting your abilities and potential in your transfer packet. This provides persuasive evidence of your qualifications.
Step 7: Schedule Consultations with Career Counselors
Leverage free career counseling available through Army education centers and your installation’s transition office.
Counselors review your service record, qualifications, transfer goals, and desired career path. They provide invaluable guidance on strategically managing your Army career.
Step 8: Wait Patiently for Approval
Once your transfer request is submitted, approval takes 60-90 days on average. The process involves these steps:
- Recruiter verifies your qualifications
- Release form sent to your commander for endorsement
- Department of the Army considers request
- If approved, assignment orders are issued
- You get follow-on tasks like shipment and reporting dates
Delays are common for busy units. Stay engaged but patient during the approval phase.
Step 9: Develop a Transition Plan with Your Unit
Once transfer approval is received, discuss a transition plan with your commander. Key topics include:
- Effective date for changeover
- Pending administrative requirements
- Equipment return and clearance procedures
- How to preserve continuity of operations when you leave
- Farewell events with colleagues
Make the effort to wrap up smoothly and take care of your soldiers, even while looking ahead.
Step 10: Get Your Finances in Order
An active duty move may impact your pay, benefits, and expenses. Some things to address:
- Set up an allotment for any ongoing financial obligations
- Adjust federal and state tax withholding
- Begin paying rent if moving off-base
- Review health, life, and auto insurance to meet active duty needs
Proactively updating your financial situation reduces stress during the transition.
Step 11: Prepare Your Family for the Move
If you have a family, help them prepare practically and emotionally for the major lifestyle change:
- Discuss expectations and opportunities of active duty life
- Make job, childcare, and school arrangements
- Connect with resources like the Family Readiness Group
- Plan military-friendly housing
- Deal with paperwork for base access, TRICARE, etc.
Anticipating changes together enables a smoother adjustment.
Step 12: Get Excited for New Possibilities
This major transition marks an exciting new chapter. Keep focused on the expanded career potential, learning, and possibilities active duty offers.
Build relationships with those at your new assignment. Immerse yourself in training for your new role. The possibilities are endless on this new path.
With extensive preparation and persistence, you can make the switch from National Guard to active duty Army seamlessly. Clinical attention to bureaucratic processes and paperwork prevents delays. Giving ample notice, identifying the right opportunity, and meticulously wrapping up your old assignment sets you up for success.
While challenging, transferring components provides invaluable opportunities for career growth, adventure, and expanding your impact through dedicated Army service. Take it step by step, and this new path will open up a world of possibilities.
How to file a FOIA or Privacy Request
Please note that the filing of a FOIA or Privacy request is a personal matter. Military personnel and Federal Government Employees may not use government time or equipment, to include their government email address or government stationary to make such requests.
Education and Aptitude Requirements
At minimum, applicants must have a high school diploma, GED, or have completed 15 credit hours of college. Those applicants with a bachelor degree or higher may be elgibile to enlist with advanced rank, or enlist for Officer Cadidate School.
If youre still in high school, you may be eligible for the Split Training Option, which offers the option of joining while you finish your senior year.
For more information on education benefits click National Guards education benefits/.
Before enlisting in the Guard, youll be required to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (or ASVAB). This important aptitude test measures your knowledge in eight areas, including math, science, word knowledge, electronics, mechanics and auto/shop skills. It will help you find the Guard career best suited to your strengths—the one where youll fit best and be most likely to succeed.
This information is only a basic outline of the qualifications. Your recruiter is ready to provide you with more detailed information and make specific recommendations regarding your qualification status.
It depends on whether your spouse retired from the Guard. If so, contact your nearest military installation for information about claiming your benefits. If not, you may be entitled to some benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs. http://www.va.gov/
If you are seeking verification of military service for The Army National Guard to comply with the Service members Civil Relief Act, please visit https://scra.dmdc.osd.mil/. If you are seeking records on former civilian or military service members for the Army National Guard, visit http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/ and complete a Standard Form 180 and send to the appropriate address listed on page 3 of the form. These requests for records are not processed by our office. If you are seeking verification of employment for Army National Guard Title 5 civilian employees, please https://www.cpms.osd.mil/subpage/EmploymentVerification/ for instructions your client must complete to allow for verification.
Yes. Transfers within the National Guard are handled by the units involved on a case-by-case basis. Factors such as unit needs, individual skills, unit locations and career goals are considered. If you move to another state or territory, you can transfer to the state Guard in that location, or remain in your original unit so long as you continue to travel back to that unit for drills and other training. Contact your recruiter or retention NCO to discuss your situation.
Guard members make excellent employees. Guard members receive world-class leadership development and technical training, both when they enter the Guard and throughout their career (including the time of their employment at your company, at no cost to you). They have real-world experience in their field of specialization, often managing complex tasks in difficult environments. Most Guard members have experience leading teams and mentoring subordinates. In addition, many Guard members have deployment and combat experience, proving their ability to adapt and thrive in difficult and ever-changing environments while remaining focused on accomplishing their mission. You can expect Guard members to perform as natural leaders and high achievers within your organization. Like all members of the military, members of the National Guard are subject to random testing for illegal drug use. National Guard members are required to pass a physical fitness test at least once a year, and are required to conform to the militarys standards for height, weight and grooming.
Your total enlistment period will be eight years, but you can serve as little as three or six years, and spend the remainder in IRR (Individual Ready Reserve). IRR Soldiers dont train with a unit, but can still be called up in the event of an emergency. Your local recruiter can explain how this works, discuss your options with you, and help you make the best choice for your needs.
Initially, all personnel are required to attend initial entry training (IET), which can usually be scheduled to meet civilian occupation scheduling requirements. Duration and location of IET varies according to career specialty – a recruiter can provide specific information for each Military Occupational Specialty.
Army National Guard members are required to attend one drill weekend each month and one two-week annual training period each year (usually during the summer). Weekend drills are usually scheduled over a Saturday and Sunday each month, but can occasionally include reporting for duty on Friday night.
Veterans who have served in any branch of the military have additional options available to them, including a “Try One” program which allows a veteran to serve for only one year on a trial basis before committing to a full enlistment. A recruiter can provide further details. To contact a recruiter please visit http://www.nationalguard.com/ or call 1-800-GO-GUARD.
The Army National Guard offers a large selection of specialties throughout a range of skills. Specialties are divided into three major categories:
The Army National Guard is two things. When activated for a federal mission, it is a Reserve Component of the U.S. Army. When not activated, it is a state-based military force under the control of the governors. As a state force, the National Guard can trace its roots back to the militia of the various colonies, and thus is older than the United States. The Army National Guard is composed of full time and part time soldiers, as well as civilians, who together serve both state and federal governments. The difference between the Guard and other branches is that while Guard units are combat-trained and can be deployed overseas, they are just as likely to serve in their home communities during an emergency.
During local emergencies, Guard units assist local emergency responders to help residents endangered by storms, floods, fires and other disasters. Guard units deployed overseas may see combat, but are often found building schools and hospitals, training local police, or teaching local farmers more efficient techniques and better uses of their land. In many cases, the skills Guard members acquire in their civilian jobs make them the ideal people to teach these same skills to the citizens of other countries.
The Guard has a unique dual mission, with both federal and state responsibilities. During peacetime, Guard forces are commanded by the governor through a state adjutant general. The governor can call the Guard into action during local or state-wide emergencies, such as storms, drought and civil disturbances. In addition, the President can activate the National Guard to participate in federal missions, both domestically and overseas. When federalized, Guard units fall under the same military chain of command as active duty and reserve troops.
If you are seeking Army National Guard records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) please see information below.
If you are seeking records within the ARNG, to include the staff of the ARNG Director, you should direct your request to the appropriate ARNG FOIA Officer using the attached directory
If you are seeking records about yourself under the Privacy Act that are filed within a Privacy Act System of Record, you should direct your request to Chief of the Office where the records are held.
If you are unsure of where your records may be located you may contact the appropriate ARNG State Privacy Manager using the list above.
Requests for IG Records must be made to the ARNG Inspector General FOIA Office at:
SAIG-ZXR 111 S. George Mason Drive Arlington, VA 22204 Phone: (571) 256-7838 FAX: (703)607-3684 E-mail address: [email protected]
Army National Guard Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)/Privacy Act (PA) Office
Welcome to the Army National Guard FOIA Page. This page was designed to assist the public in making FOIA requests for Army National Guard records.
HOW TO TRANSFER FROM ARMY RESERVES/NATIONAL GUARD TO ACTIVE DUTY ARMY | STEP BY STEP PROCESS (2020)
Should I transfer from the National Guard to active duty?
There are several reasons to consider transferring from the U.S. National Guard to active duty in the U.S. Army. Some reasons to transfer include: Worldwide locations: Active-duty personnel can serve in overseas or stateside locations based on their rank, job and work performance.
How do I transfer from Army Reserve to National Guard?
Talk to your current commander about your plans to transfer, as a common courtesy. Request an appointment with a local Army Reserve recruiter, and explain that you would like to transfer. He will give you a DD Form 368, Request for Conditional Release, to fill out. Use that form to formally request release from the National Guard.
How do I transition from the National Guard to active duty?
There are several steps in transitioning from the U.S. National Guard to active duty. Active duty recruiters and your current guard unit can help you complete paperwork and requirements to ease your transition. Here are the steps you can take: 1. Meet with an active-duty recruiter
What paperwork do I need to transfer to a National Guard unit?
Complete required paperwork All guard members need a completed DD Form 368, which is a request for conditional release from their U.S. National Guard unit. This form covers aspects of your transfer, such as acknowledging your wish to transfer and your unit’s approval of that transfer.
