Chapter 6, Section II, of AR 140-10, states that a Soldier can transfer from the Retired Reserve to the Ready Reserve. They can transfer to a TPU, IMA unit, or to the IRR.
This transfer has to be voluntary. However, during time of emergency or mass mobilizations, Soldiers in the Retired Reserve are subject to mobilization. They can be mobilized from the Retired Reserve, or they could be transferred to the TPU, IMA, or IRR and be mobilized from there.
During the other times; however, Retired Reserve Soldiers, if qualified, can volunteer to transfer back to the Ready Reserve.
Qualifications:
Retired Reserve Soldiers wanting to transfer to the IRR must be qualified for the IRR, and must be qualified for deployment. One documentation, that the Soldier needs, is a record of medical examination. This examination needs to be reviewed by an Army surgeon. The medical examination, and review, have to be within one year.
Enlisted personnel must also be qualified for immediate reenlistment. These requirements are listed in AR 140-111. A Soldier desiring this kind of transfer must be ready for an immediate reenlistment with concurrent transfer to the IRR. If the Soldier is requesting transfer to the TPU, or IMA, it would be an immediate reenlistment with concurrent transfer to the TPU or IMA.
Soldiers have to meet the body fat requirements listed in AR 600-9. Ideally, Soldiers in the Retired Reserve should be maintaining physical fitness and be ready to pass the Army Physical Fitness Test. This isn't always practical, and not every gray area retiree does this. Those desiring, or considering, mobilization or transfer back to the Ready Reserve should consider remaining within body fat standards as well as being physically able to pass the APFT.
Those in receipt of retired pay are generally not allowed to transfer into the Ready Reserve. There's an exception, which is listed below.
If a Soldier was involuntarily removed from the Ready Reserve, because of an action taken by a retention or promotion board, or because of statute or regulation, that Soldier is ineligible to transfer back to the Ready Reserve.
Ineligible for transfer:
Soldiers in the Retired Reserve for the following reasons will not be able to apply for transfer into the Ready Reserve:
A review board, promotion board, or other board removed the Soldier from the Ready Reserve category that the Soldier is trying to get back into.
Statute requires the Soldier to be removed from the Ready Reserve.
If the Soldier were to successfully transfer to the Ready Reserve, and that Soldier would automatically be required to be removed from the Ready Reserve as required by law or regulation, that Soldier will not be able to transfer back into the Ready Reserve.
The Soldier is receiving retired pay, with the exception listed in paragraph 6-5, AR 140-10.
Application Process:
A Soldier in the Retired Reserve is considered as still in the Army. As such, the Soldiers can go to the nearest Career Counselor to help get the transfer process started.
As noted above, you need a medical evaluation done that was reviewed by an Army surgeon within the past year. You also have to generate a memorandum. In this memorandum, you have to indicate the following:
That you are requesting transfer from the Retired Reserve to the IRR.
The justification that you used in the memorandum that you included in your request to transfer to the Retired Reserve.
*Whether you are receiving disability compensation or not. If you are receiving disability compensation, how much you're receiving each month.
*Your willingness to serve in the IRR, and to be qualified and available for deployment if needed.
If you transferred to the Retired Reserve for reasons outside of being eligible to retire with pay at 60, and your new contract would bring you to your mandatory removal date before you qualify to retire with pay, you also have to include the following statement:
*The understanding that you are subject to mandatory removal before you can complete 20 years of qualifying service. This statement, verbatim, can be found in paragraph 6-5, AR 140-10.
If your IRR transfer request is approved, you will get transfer orders transferring you from the Retired Reserve to the IRR. If you are enlisted, these orders would require you to immediately reenlist the day after the effective date on the order.
Tip:
Contact your nearest Career Counselor for details on this process, and review the applicable sections of the references below.
References:
AR 140-10, U.S. Army Reserve Assignments, Attachments, Details, and Transfers.
AR 140-111, U.S. Army Reserve Reenlistment Program.
AR 600-9, The Army Body Composition Program.
Travis is a freelance writer who served a quarter of a century, cumulative, of combined active and reserve military service. He's currently in the Army's Retired Reserve.