Do You Want a Full-Time or Part-Time Military Career?

Regular Service
In the regular service, personnel serve on a full-time basis. After enlisting in the service, members are sent to basic training. After graduation, they are sent to specialty job training schools. Upon completion, they are assigned to a station or unit for duty. After 20 years of regular service, members qualify for a military retirement.

Reserve Service
The reserves are part-time military soldiers. Personnel serve an initial period on active duty after attending basic training and job training. After the training period, which usually lasts several months, reservists are free to return to civilian life, but for the remainder of the service obligation they attend training sessions and perform work in the job specialty one or two days a month with their local unit. Once a year, reservists participate in an active-duty training session for 14 days. When reservists have completed 20 years of service and have reached age 60, they are entitled to retirement, based on reserve pay.