Operation Military Families Page 4

Types of Military

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Military families are comprised of many types. It is no longer expected that only fathers will be military members. Women are increasingly joining the military ranks. Along with gender changes in the military there are different types of military members that may be harder to identify than active duty.

Below is a summary of the types of military members.

Active Duty

This is the military member that is perhaps most widely considered. This is the daily career military member who may be seen dropping their children off at child care in uniform on their way to the Army or Navy base nearest to your community.

National Guard

These are citizen soldiers who serve their duty time mostly on weekends and during annual training exercises. The National Guard is also a state military force that responds to natural and political disasters. In addition to this they support international combat campaigns through deployments.

Reserves

Reservists are similar to the National Guard; however, they are not a state military force. These are reserve forces that remain ready to supplement the active duty forces in the time of need. They also serve their duty time on weekends and during annual training and are often deployed overseas.

Individual Ready Reserve

These are soldiers who have separated from the military on good terms but are obligated to return to service for a period of time if the government sees fit. These members do not report for duty.

Retired Military

These are military members who have retired from military service after many years. They are often still very connected to the military in various ways.

DOD Civilian

The Department of Defense (DOD) employs hundreds of thousands of people worldwide to support military forces and their needs. These employees are not active duty military and do not always experience the same stressors of military though they travel and often work long hours to support military efforts.