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Many people have heard of the National Guard, but not everyone knows who they are and how they operate, or how they relate to better-known military divisions. Moreover, adjacent branches like the Air National Guard (ANG) tend to be subsumed within the definition of the regular National Guard. This is because they’re a vital component of one another, and the ANG is not a distinct entity. However, while their goals and operational objectives tend to be similar, their capabilities are different. In this post, we’ll discuss the Air National Guard, its mission, essential facts to learn, how they relate to other branches, as well as disclose the joining process.

The Army National Guard serves as the reserve element of the United States Army. As such, it holds both state-led and federal governments, under the jurisdiction of each state’s respective governor, and ultimately the President. As such, the Army National Guard works with the Air National Guard to support the upkeep of national security, and regularly commit to domestic humanitarian issues, emergencies, and disasters. Past examples of their operational remit include assisting in hurricane relief and wildfire suppression efforts, search and rescue missions, medical assistance, and delivering humanitarian aid. Like other military branches, The Army National Guard prides itself on cultivating highly trained and capable service personnel, serving in both a part-time and full-time capacity. In this post, we’ll discuss their most common obligations and missions that take place daily all around the country.

National Guard members enjoy reliable job security, and careers can last for years. Depending on if you join the Army or Air division, you can join from 17 – 35 or 17- 39 respectively. This makes it a great starting career decision for much young personnel or a great career to return to for those who may have experience in the working world already. As a member of the National Guard, you can enjoy military benefits and security with a part-time commitment. For some, this helps top up their current salaries. The US Military is incentivized to train, educate and develop its personnel, and the National Guard is no different. Through educational benefits such as the Montgomery GI Bill or Post-9/11 GI Bill, college tuition and other educational expenses can be levied depending on service time, role, and commitment. For many, the National Guard serves as a great means of pursuing educational opportunities they may not have had elsewhere and increasing their station in life. This is separate from all of the world-class training you will receive as part of your chosen specialism but will be related.

The National Guard, with its Army and Air divisions, is comprised of around 450,000 personnel, with roughly 336,000 and 114,000 staff in those respective organizations. It’s a highly decorated, dependable and capable reservist force, able to secure the homeland in a range of technical and force-projection disciplines. They may also deploy overseas, and work with both state and federal mission objectives depending on needs. As you may imagine, a force of such size offers a range of coveted roles to prospective applicants. In this post, we’ll discuss ten of the most popular jobs in the National Guard, what they do, and what it takes to be part of that discipline.

Although the two terms – Army (or Air) National Guard and National Guard – are incredibly similar and therefore can easily be confused, and although the work the two military branches do will be the same, the big difference is that the National Guard is not active duty military personnel, whereas Army National Guard is.

What is National Guard basic training? When you go to National Guard Basic training, you will learn a variety of different things that will help you not just in your National Guard work but in life as well. These include how to work in a tightly-knit team and how to stay physically fit. More specific skills include how to handle a weapon, how to march, and how to rappel. The training is both physically and mentally demanding, and you will be stressed and pushed to your limit. However, the sense of achievement you experience as a result of completing this National Guard basic training will be unparalleled.  

The birthday of the National Guard is celebrated on December 13 each year. During this celebration, service members and civilians alike remember and give thanks for the sacrifice and service of all National Guard members, from past to present. Today, this reservist force serves vital peacekeeping, domestic security, disaster relief, and overseas logistical efforts to keep the United States Military the strongest set of fighting forces in the world. They offer a range of highly specialist job roles and provide competitive reservist career pathways for anyone interested in defending the nation and joining such a long and prestigious martial legacy.

Want to know where all the National Guard military bases are in the country? Just enter your zip code or city and find National Guard bases.