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KC-10 Driver ✈ B-737 Wrangler @MCCCANM - Seeing some surprised that military can be “recalled to active duty”. Seems like an interesting topic, so without going into politics, let’s talk about it.
When you “retire” (after 20+ years, will get a pension) or “separate” (less than 20, won’t get a pension) you are subject to recall for different periods of time, based on rank, age & how you left. You don’t have to do anything during this period…no checking in w/ anyone or doing “drill weekends” or anything. This is known as the “Individual Ready Reserve” (IRR). The period of IRR service may vary, but 4 years after separation is a good guide…so even those who only join for 4 years are subject to recall for another 4, regardless of rank.
The Navy & Marine Corps have a somewhat different provision, allowing for recalls of members of the “Fleet Reserve”. The Fleet Reserve consists of retirees (not those who separate); they served 20 or more years. After 20, they can be a member of the Fleet Reserve for up to another 10 years, for a total of 30 years.
The rest of the services have special provisions & policies as well, but it won’t help your understanding. These policies affect who will get recalled, in what order & how they can be used.
In general retirees, in exchange for pension & benefits, are essentially eligible for recall until death. That’s not how it would really work, though…in a national emergency, they will prioritize who gets recalled, with those under age 60 & retired within the last 5 years first, then those under 60 who retired more than 5 years ago, then all those who are over age 60.
There are some exclusions; those forced into early retirement (as in a drawdown, not because they did something wrong) are not eligible for recall after a short period, for example, even though they will collect a pension.
Non retirees (didn’t serve 20 years) are not eligible for this recall. Once they leave the IRR, that’s kind of it, unless they volunteer for recall.
Speaking of which, there are differences in how a voluntary & involuntary recall will work, who has the authority to initiate it & such. Again, it won’t help your understanding to try & explain it.
Regardless of how a recall would work, retiree pension & benefits also make you subject to the UCMJ. This is kind of rare…I’ve heard of it happening, and some media sources say it’s happening more frequently now, but I can’t speak to that. There have been some famous cases where military members were recalled more than 10 years after retirement to face charges (sometimes for things they did while on active duty, sometimes for more current actions), but the track record appears mixed. In some cases, the military case may be dismissed for various reasons while a civilian case continues & finds the accused guilty. In these cases, the Secretary of War may decide to administratively punish the offender…they can have their retired rank & pay reduced. In one recent case, a retired General was found guilty in a civilian court & the Secretary reduced his pay to the rank of Second Lieutenant.
I hope this helps. It’s a complex subject & please keep in mind I may have made minor errors here, but in the end…if you are retired with a pension & were not forced to retire early, you’re subject to recall under varying provisions.
One more point…the military has a concept of “Barracks Lawyers”. These are not actual lawyers, just regular service remembers, often junior in rank, who like to give out legal advice to fellow junior members which turns out to be the dumbest idea possible & will get people in trouble. Do not listen to Barracks Lawyers.
https://x.com/MCCCANM/status/1993286483000934618
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