United States Army Reserve

The Army Reserve was formed in 1908 to provide the Army with reserve medical officers who could be called upon during times of emergency. Eventually, in 1912, the Army Appropriations Act created the regular Army Reserve. Four years later, the first reserve units were called to resolve tensions between the United States and Mexico caused by Mexican outlaw, Francisco “Pancho” Villa.

By World War I, there were about 22,000 officer reservists and 35,000 enlisted reservists in the Army. All in all, almost 200,000 reservists served in the war. Since then, Army Reservists have been involved in every major American conflict, including World War II and the Korean War. During the Korean War, Congress enacted changes to the structure of the Army Reserves, transforming the Organized Reserve Corps into the United States Army Reserve, which was further divided into Ready Reserve, Standby Reserve, and Retired Reserve units.

Title 10 of the U.S. Code dictates that the Army Reserve’s mission is to “provide trained, equipped, and ready soldiers and cohesive units to meet the global requirements across the full spectrum of operations.”

Officers in the United States Army Reserve, including professionals and college students, are able to keep their civilian jobs while training near their homes and serving when needed. They essentially work part-time duties, and rotate to full-time duty when called up.

Soldiers can belong to the active Army Reserve or to the Individual Ready Reserve. For the latter, the soldier receives no pay and isn’t required to drill, participate in military activities, or perform yearly training unless activated by the Presidential Reserve Callup Authority (PRCA). When called up, IRR soldiers will be screened physically to determine if they’re qualified for activation.

Army Reservists typically complete a training or service one weekend every month, which is known as inactive duty for training (IADT), also referred to as Battle Assembly. These monthly drills allow soldiers to train, hone their skills, and preserve battle readiness, both individually and as a unit, in case deployment or mobilization becomes necessary. Soldiers are also required to train once a year for two weeks consecutively, or what’s referred to as Annual Training.

All US Army soldiers sign an eight year contract upon entry, typically spending two to four years in the Regular Army (active component) and serving the rest of the contract in the Reserves. However, some soldiers choose to sign a contract pledging to serve all eight years in the Army Reserve.

Army Reserve soldiers provide specialized skills and manpower wherever and whenever needed. They’re able to support and strengthen the Regular Army with a complementary force, preserve peace and security in defense of the United States, and give back to the community during national emergencies and natural disasters.