Army Man

National guard?

what is the difference between the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard? How does one know which to choose? Or do you become part of both when you join? finally, do they both offer active duty or reserve as options?

Public Comments

1. Ummm. . . Army National Guard is. . . well. . . ARMY. . . Air National Guard is AIR FORCE. . . Neither are "Active Duty;" they are both Reserve components of their respective service branches. Of course, being a Reservist nowadays ensures that you will become "activated." As to which to choose. . . It depends on what you want to do and what you want to get out of your service. They both provide a plethora of options, but to generalize, the Army is concerned with combat, while the Air Force is concerned with transportation and support. One more thing. . . whether Air or Army, National Guards are actually run by individual states with money provided by the federal government. Historically, they have only been called up for domestic purposes (local natural disasters, riots, etc.). In wartime, however, the need has arisen that we need their support in order to provide a more suitable operation tempo for all of our service members.
2. One is Army and One is Air Force. One weekend a month and 2 weeks training a year. Army deploys more often. Once you're deployed.....you're on active duty.
3. Ok Army NG is the state run reserve for the Army. Air NG is the state run reserve for the Air Force. You do not become part of both. Choose the one with the job best suited to yourself, and as a whole they are both reserves that can offer active status to their members.