ANG Question

[jed]

Can anyone explain to me what the unsponsored guard or reserve application is all about in the Air National Guard. Correct me if I'm wrong, I thought that you could join w/out sponsor and get assigned to anwhere in the US. Is it true, and if so do you have any say in type of equipment? Is it still a guard or reserve commitment, ie part time after school and seasoning requirements are met.

Thanks
jed

 

[stlpilot]

Sounds like maybe your getting the two organizations confused. Okay with the guard you apply to each individual unit and there is no such thing as "sponsored" or unsponsored package when it comes to the application or interviewing process. Now if you get hired by the guard after an interview they will sponsor or in other words pay for you to go to UPT.

With the reserves(completely seprate from the guard) you can go to each unit and ask if they will sponsor your application package. Now this does not mean your hired but a board at reserve headquarters meets twice a year to approve or not approve a sponsored package. If you got a unit to sponsor you then most likely you will get approved. If you want you can go up for the board "unsponsored" meaning you never went and found a unit to sponsor you. If the board approves you then you must go out and find a unit to hire you and pay for you to attend UPT. Just to make it clear, the unit you find to sponsor you has nothing to do with the board that must approve your package. So its kind of a two step process with the reserves either find a unit then get approved by the board or option 2 get approved by the board then find the unit. Make sense?

The type of equiptment you fly depends on what unit you want. In the guard you can just apply to fighter units if you want, and its very competative. In the reserves there are less fighter units and they are almost immposible to get into unless your out of active duty.

As for your last question of time commitment it again depends. Traditionally once your training is done (2-3 years) then you will drop to part time but sometimes the guard has full time openings you can fall into, Iv been told its more of a right place at the right time opportunity. Not sure about the reserves on that one.

 

[jed]

thanks that clears it up!
Jed