WHY TRANSITION FROM THE ACTIVE COMPONENT TO THE RESERVE COMPONENT?
As a Reserve Sailor, your service fits around your civilian and professional life, while still giving you the Navy benefits, camaraderie and culture you enjoy as an Active Duty Sailor. With the ability to live anywhere you want and serve on your schedule, transitioning from Active Duty to Reserve combines everything you love about the Navy with everything you love about your civilian life.
Why would someone transition from Active Duty to Reserve?
Lifestyle & Flexibility
As a Reserve Sailor, you drill one weekend a month and attend annual training for two weeks each year. Your service works around your civilian schedule, so you can live anywhere you want while serving in a location convenient to you.
Selected Reserve vs. Individual Ready Reserve
SELRES: Selected Reserve
Sailors must affiliate with the SELRES if they have served less than six years of Active Duty service. Once a Sailor has completed a combined six years of Active Duty and SELRES service, they may be transferred to the Individual Ready Reserve for two years for the remainder of their military service obligation (MSO). Responsibilities of a Selected Reserve (SELRES) member include completing the one weekend of drilling per month and two weeks of Annual Training (AT) each anniversary year. A Sailor’s first year in the SELRES will be prorated based on the time of year when affiliation is completed. Some commands may offer alternative drilling options.
IRR: Individual Ready Reserve
The Navy’s Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) is made up of both Sailors who still need to meet their contracted MSO obligation and those who have met MSO requirements but volunteer to serve with IRR status.
Complete your eight years by joining the Reserve
All new enlistment and commissioning contracts executed on or after October 1, 2020, include the minimum four years Active Duty (AD), followed by up to two years of SELRES service and two years of Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) service to satisfy the eight-year MSO. Navy Veterans who affiliate with SELRES within six months of separation are granted a two-year involuntary mobilization deferment.
Active Duty Transition Policy
Any portion of a Sailor’s eight-year MSO that is not completed on Active Duty or Active Duty for Training (ADT) must be completed in the Reserve. Any Sailor who entered into a service contract on or after October 1, 2020 (commonly referred to 4x2x2), who is separating from Active Duty with less than six years time in service (TIS) is required to fulfill either SELRES or IRR as determined by the needs of the Navy. After completion of six years TIS, Sailors may be transitioned to the IRR to serve the remainder of their eight-year MSO.
SELRES quota requests will be automatically generated in the Career Waypoints (CWAY) System for adjudication by Reserve Community Managers based upon the needs of the Navy. The quotas will be generated monthly from T-10 to T-12 months to the Sailor’s EAOS/SEAOS to determine if SELRES service will be required. All members with an approved quota will be contacted by their local NTAG or advisor regarding their SELRES affiliation. Sailors with more than six years TIS are still highly encouraged to affiliate with the SELRES via CWAY but are not required to do so.
Process for Joining the Reserve
Contact your Command Career Counselor for CWAY submission for a reserve billet or contact 1-800-USA-NAVY to be connected to your local prior service recruiter.