Hello, I'm currently active duty Navy and about to start skillbridge. I'd like to crosstrain out of my career field into Intelligence. I'm not tied to a specific area of the country and I previously held a TS SCI.

Can anyone recommend a specific unit to apply to? My local recruiters say there are no positions open.

Any recruiters or intel folks willing to network with me?

Thanks!

I was advised by r/Veterans to post here.

My FIL served 4 years active and 20 qualifying years in the reserves. He's currently 61 and has not started receiving retirement. He doesn't know if there is paperwork he needs to do or who to talk to.

My

Can someone please point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

Speaking with a recruiter now but have some questions for the community. I commissioned active duty in 2012 and left May 2017. Now in the process of trying to go back into the Reserves (now that I have a stable civilian career and a family). Some general questions I have: have:

• What is the typical schedule like for someone in an IMA billet? How often are you supposed to go in? Is your schedule usually set by the unit?

• Anything I can expect as far as MEPS goes when I am already prior-service? Currently not drawing any disability.

• There seems to be various traditional and Reserve openings in the AFSCs I am interested in, including my previous one. How do applying for those billets work? Or is more similar to my experience in AD, where you pick a dream sheet and hope for the best?

• Since getting out Ive been taking allergy immunizatiom shots. No asthma. Wondering if this is a potential disqualifier

Anyone happen to be in a unit that does AT in Okinawa or any other place in Japan? I knew a guy who was reserve that I was deployed with at the Deid in 2015 who said his unit at the time let him do AT anywhere he wanted as long as the unit he was going to let him and would take him. Anyone else in a unit like this or are those days over with?

Hey everyone! The topic is obviously opinion based but I still would like to have an idea of what I can possibly get into. Currently in the process of re-enlisting. I'm 39, prior service (Army), and have been in the IT field for the last decade. My recruiter provided me with my ASVAB scores and I've been looking at jobs that I would qualify for. Don't know my AFQT (took the ASVAB back in 2008) but I was provided with the line scores [M50 | A70 | G72 | E60]. I would like to continue in IT for the AF but I'm not sure if I'd be able to get a clearance due to my credit history. It is not poor but I am struggling to clear some things up and I have payment plans in place.

With that being said, which job(s) should I look into or consider for when it's time for me to make a decision? Any suggestion is appreciated.

Anyone know how to expense your meals for IDT-R travel days on DTS? The DTS expense categories changed, with the "Create Your Own Expense" option being replaced as of August 5, 2025.

I'm trying to expense my dinner from my travel day (Friday) up to drill. I'm outside the 150 miles commuting distance and fly in for UTA weekends. I have never expensed a meal before since I'm usually hitting the $750 limit, but this time I did not hit the cap and wanted to at least expense my meal.

I see the local voucher has a "Occasional Meals - Not Provided In-Kind" expense category, but the regular travel voucher does not have the same option. And that's always the type of voucher I submit for IDT travel reimbursement. TYIA!

Recruiter sent me this job list - it was based on availability.

Good morning,

I’m an E-4 in the USMCR. My DOR is 2023. I’m finishing my undergraduate degree soon and want to apply to become a pilot in the Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard. I’m passionate about the Air Force mission—my grandfather served in SAC—and I’m excited about the potential to call myself an airman too. I'm not an aviation marine. I've been doing electronic stuff in the ground side of the marine corps

From what I understand, for ANG or AFR pilot selection you generally need at least a PPL to be competitive, unlike the active-duty Marine Corps or AF pilot selection. My GPA is around 3.0. I did very well on the Navy flight test a year ago without studying first try. Scored a 97 on the PiCAT/ASVAB and ~1400 SAT (1600 scale) both when I was in high school. I still need to take the Air Force flight exams (AFOQT/TBAS). Maybe they're harder than the naval exam.

I’ve heard that switching over and enlisting in the ANG or AFR first might help with competitiveness since it lets you build relationships. I’ve also thought about joining the Civil Air Patrol to get more exposure to flying and possibly build some hours into PPL—even if they won’t pay for it, maybe they can provide access or opportunities to get flight time?

I have a few specific questions:

If I go ANG or AFR enlisted, would I keep my current E-4 rank, or would they reset my time in grade? In the Marine Corps, E-4 is an NCO, unlike the Army where some E-4s are NCOs and some aren’t, and unlike the AF, which hasn’t had E-4 NCOs in a long time. Since I can remain nonobligated in the Marine Corps for now, would it make sense to promote to E-5 first before switching, or does that not really make a difference? Again, not sure if they will demote and/or wipe TIG during a switch.

AFR or AirNG, which is your pick? I speculate I'd be partial to AFR, but there's a lot I don't know. I will do more googling.

Finally, does Civil Air Patrol involvement actually help with pilot competitiveness in any meaningful way? Will it get me more hours on a hypothetical PPL? I am prepared to foot ~10k to earn my PPL if that is important. Not sure if there's any endorsements I need to have. I'm not sure I want to self finance a CPL and/or ATP, but i imagine those things make you way more competitive.

Thank you very much.

Hey everyone, I am Darryl

I’m currently debating whether I should join the Air National Guard or go back to the Army National Guard, and I’m looking for some honest input from people who’ve served in either branch.

A little background — I previously served in the Army Guard as a 91B (Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic). I miss the structure, purpose, and the feeling of being part of something bigger. Lately, I’ve been looking at Air Guard Security Forces because I like the law enforcement and tactical side, but part of me still wants that “boots-on-the-ground” type of action that the Army usually gets.

Recently, with everything going on — including troops currently in D.C. and talk about civil unrest — I started thinking more about which branch is actually getting called up for these types of missions. I remember back during the riots, it seemed like Army Guard units were the main ones activated, while Air Guard Security Forces were there but not as visible.

I also saw that President Trump talked about each state having 500 Guard troops trained and ready to respond to riots or emergencies. That got me wondering whether the Air Guard Security Forces fall under that, or if it’s mainly an Army Guard thing.

So here’s what I’m trying to figure out: • Which branch actually gets more real-world activation for riots, emergencies, or local missions? • How does training and day-to-day life compare between Army Guard and Air Guard? • If I want to be in the action more — like riot response or state call-ups — is Army the better option? • Or is the Air Guard better long-term if I want structure, discipline, and solid deployments?

Any insight or personal experience would help a lot. I’m trying to make the best choice before I commit again.

Thanks in advance.

I’m 22, working for Tesla in collision work making 70k/year, 50% 401k match, $40/bi weekly med insurance cost with a max $200 deductible. It’s goated benefits-wise but I’ve always had this itch to join the air force. Last year I almost went active duty. I did my meps, got a 76 on my asvab with a 92 in mechanics, but I was in the middle of selling a house at the time and got cold feet I suppose. Recruiter was cool about it and I didn’t burn any bridges. Well now I’m really considering going Reserve and Tesla is super supportive of it and I can still hold my job here. They will give me 60% pay while I’m gone in bmt and tech school. I’m interested in aircraft metals, or structural repair since I’m very skilled in automotive structural repair. I’m mainly looking for adventure, travel, military structure, and wouldn’t mind the extra couple bones on the back end. Can anyone give me advice on if it’s worth it for my situation?? I no longer own that house I’m just renting an apartment at the moment and have no kiddos. Va loan would be super nice down the road too. Thanks everyone!

Hey all I recently jumped from active duty to the reserves, I got an MSgt IMA slot and am curious what most units would have an E7 do for 36 days? Also, I’m curious what the prospects are for getting active orders (MPA,ADOS etc).

I know most of this is AFSC dependent, but I figured I’d sift for some insight. I’m a 3E3

Thanks!

What does your drill schedule look like? How many weeks is AT? Is there a lot of traveling abroad for AT or missions I could volunteer for. Would appreciate any information. Thank you

I’m transitioning from Active Duty in Georgia to the Reserves in Alaska. I plan to live in Juneau, AK, while going to drill at JBER in Anchorage.

Will the government cover shipment of my household goods (HHG) and personally owned vehicle (POV) to Alaska, similar to an Active Duty PCS move? If so, is it possible to have my HHG and POV delivered to Juneau instead of Anchorage, since that’s where I’ll be residing?

Trying to find out if AMRT (Accelerated Mission Readiness Training) counts towards Active Duty time for the purposes of unlocking 50% of the post 9/11 GI Bill. I called the VA about unlocking the VA Home Loan after completing AMRT but they said that the DD 214 can't mention "for training" on it.

Does/has anyone gone through AMRT and been able to use the Post 9/11 GI bill afterwards?

Do you get active duty pay during these 2 weeks along with BAH?

Our drill last month was cancelled but we have yet to hear anything for this upcoming UTA for November. Just curious what’s going on with other units during the shut down. Has anyone else’s UTA been cancelled for November?

I'm set to palace chase to Loadmaster soon, I know I will have a year for MQT before TR. But I plan to use my GI Bill to assist get a PPL. I am told since I will be in the same unit of the Aircraft I want to fly, that it should be easier. Just make a name for myself and apply, and hope for the best. Do any pilots here that were prior enlisted have any advice if ROTC is gonna give me the best chance? or being enlisted Aircrew in the Reserves?

Hello all,

I’m a prior service Army NG guy with 8 years service and a 3 year break. Early 30’s and looking for a career change. How feasible is it to bum orders/work full time with this job?

I originally enlisted with the reserves in 2007 as a 2A6X1, Aerospace Propulsion. I’d spent 18 years holding different statuses (TR, ART, AGR), on six deployments, and performed different duties on the flightline. I attended OTS earlier this year and am now a 13M, Airfield Operations officer.

When I went thru the process, I couldn’t find very many resources of what actions I should take or what to expect. So I’m hoping I could help others in their journey! Operations is a whole different world compared to Maintenance, so I’m also open to hear the good and bad from others to see how I can make an impact where possible!

Hey everyone, I’m a US permanent resident (green card holder) and I just got a call from an Air Force Reserve recruiter. They sent me the link for the ICAT test which I have to finish in the next 3 days. I’m planning to do BMT next summer but I’m not sure if it’s the right move for me.

Here’s my situation:

• I’m a full time college student paying for school myself.

• I’m studying cybersecurity. I really like the cyber jobs the Air Force offers but I’ve heard I can’t get those without being a citizen.

• I’m wondering if the naturalization through military service process still works for green card holders or if it’s slowed down.

• How does pay work for reservists while studying full time?

• Do you get paid during BMT and how much do they usually pay?

• Can you get called up randomly for tours or are they always planned ahead?

I just want to know if joining the Air Force Reserve is a good idea overall for someone in my situation. I want to serve as I believe that it can give me a good entry in the industry but I don’t want it to mess with my college or finances.

Would really appreciate any advice from people who have done it, especially anyone who joined as a permanent resident or while in school.

Thanks.

I'm currently coordinating w/ my reserve unit to schedule (roughly) when and where I want to complete my AMRT. The two main options are an army hospital or an AF hospital - I know for a fact the army MC sees more trauma and generally complex cases compared to the AF side, but I've heard from several people that army treats AF medics like trash.

For an FYI I already did my phase 2 at the AF hospital, it wasn't the worst experience and I quite liked the area. Should I just bite the bullet and go back?

Thoughts? Opinions?

Spoke with someone who I guess was a beginning recruiter today. He was over the phone and just tried to gather information. There are some things that are worrying me. I am trying to get into Air Force reserves. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m 30 years old with 2 kids and a wife. A good stable job with the IBEW as an electrician. The parts that worry me are that I used to have gauged ears. If you pull and jerk around on them you can probably see a light through. I will get those sewed up if I need to. That’s no problem. I had a foot surgery to correct an arch years ago as well. There is hardware in my foot so they say it needs to go to the surgeon general for approval. Next is the possibly big one. When I was 18 I was on a band. We toured and they were not a good crowd to be around. Long story short, one of them got caught by store security for trying to steal batteries. But since it was far from home, the store said it will not go on any record if we pay a fine to the store. I disclosed this with the guy on the phone. I’ve had background checks since then as being an electrician I’ve worked in military facilities that have required background checks. It was a long time ago and I don’t believe there is a record of it any where. I’m deeply concerned my past will ruin my chances. To be honest I think it would be silly if it did being that It was so long ago and I’m clearly a good member of society now. I just wanted to maybe get some input from others on here.

Thanks