The Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) is a category of the Ready Reserve of the Reserve Component of the Armed Forces of the United States composed of former active duty or reserve military personnel, and is authorized under 10 U.S.C. ch. 1005. As of 22 June 2004, the IRR had approximately 112,000 members (does not include all service IRR populations) composed of enlisted personnel and officers, with more than 200 Military Occupational Specialties are represented, including combat arms, combat support, and combat service support.
An individual assigned to the IRR typically receives no pay and is not obligated to drill, conduct annual training, or participate in any military activities (except for periodic Muster activities) until activated by Presidential Reserve Callup Authority or until electing to drill, train, or serve in an "Active Duty" role. As there is no such category as "inactive" reserves, IRR soldiers are members of the Ready Reserve and they retain their status as soldiers, their military specialty (i.e. Military Police, Military Intelligence, etc.) and rank. IRR soldiers receive benefits similar to other members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces to include: Entitlement to a Military ID Card, ID Cards for their dependents, PX/BX (Exchange) benefits, Commissary benefits, and MWR (Morale Welfare and Recreation) Benefits. (Note: These benefits are only available to IRR Members in the "CONUS" 48 States.) An individual assigned to the IRR may receive pay and full benefits (including medical care and dental care for member and dependents) for voluntarily performing specific types of active duty. Because members of the IRR rarely serve on extended active duty and are not retired from military service, most are not eligible for medical care from DoD or VA. Currently, neither DoD nor VA has responsibility for health care of IRR members.
By law, IRR members are required to retain possession of their service uniforms, retain their military identification card, and notify their service branch if they move and change their address.
Upon being called up, service members will usually be screened for their medical and personal status in order to qualify or disqualify them for activation. During the process, IRR members who seek to delay, defer, or exempt their activations have the opportunity to present their case to the mobilization authority for a decision.
An enlisted service member's IRR service ends after the completion of their mandatory service obligation (MSO), usually 8 years.
The Individual Ready Reserve, Selected Reserve, and Inactive National Guard comprise the three Ready Reserve programs.
Read more about Individual Ready Reserve: Callup Authority and Activation, Activations in The War On Terror, Delay, Deferment, & Exemption (DD&E)
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