Reserves and SSG

[JCMC219]

I am pretty sure, from reading other posts here, that the FBI is one of the few agencies that does NOT allow its SAs to be in the military reserves. HOWEVER, I was wondering if this is also true of those of us applying to the SSG position. Does anyone here have an answer to this? I tried calling my AC, but to no avail. THANKS!

[Sparta]

I was hoping someone who knows for sure would chime in but no luck, so I will give you a hopefully correct answer. According to other threads that were reference FBI SA, which used to be a position where you had to resign your commission or get out, you can now remain in as a SA due to President Bush signing something into law that allowed that. That is per other threads, so put as much weight in that as you want, and of course reference SA, but I would think that if they can then SSG can also. Again this is uneducated, so I will sit back and see myself.

[greeneyes]

Don't know of any rule against it, but don't quote me on it.

The trick with SSG is that you often work weekends...so if you're scheduled to work the weekend you have Reserve duty, you'll likely have to take leave in order to go on duty. That could eat up your AL pretty darn quickly, especially when you're new and not earning a ton to start and need to burn 8-16 hrs/month just for your Reserve duty.

[BuMan]

There's no prohibition against SSG or any other Bureau support position being in the Reserves. There was a test program for a couple of years that allowed the SAs to stay in the active reserve, which hadn't been a problem until 9/11 came along and people started getting activated for extended periods. Because of a DoD order after 9/11 people in the active reserves can't transfer out and the key federal employee provision can't be utilized to exempt SAs from active duty. As a result, a few of the SAs who got in under the pilot program have been called up to active duty for extended periods. Now the policy is that someone being hired as an SA can have an active reserves commitment (but not assigned to a deployable unit) but have to sign a letter agreeing to transfer into the inactive reserve once the DoD restriction is lifted.

I know of several IAs who have been called up to active duty as well. Since I'm not heavily tied into the SSG program, I don't know the situation there, but I haven't seen anything prohibiting it, either. There's also military leave as a possiblity, instead of burning annual leave, and I believe you get 80 hours per year of military leave, although that can get burned up in annual training pretty quickly.

[JCMC219]

Thanks for the replies. I'm hoping my AC will get back to me with "official" word on this, but your comments were certainly helpful. Oh, any by the way, the reserves branch I am considering is the US Coast Guard. To my knowledge, they have not been involunatrily activated as often as other branches of the military. So I am hoping that it won't be a problem IF, in fact, I am accepted to the SSG. Thanks, again, and have a wonderful Memorial Day!

[DNPSP]

It is not legal for any employer including FED to require the use of personal leave for military service.

For more info about employer/employee reempolyment rights check the "ESGR" web site.

[ElColonel]

Oh, any by the way, the reserves branch I am considering is the US Coast Guard. To my knowledge, they have not been involunatrily activated as often as other branches of the military.

I wouldn't bank on it JMC. Operation Noble Eagle has called up quite a few USCG Reservists. Homeland Security wasn't a USCG priority mission before, and the planning and CC watchstanding is currently staffed almost entirely by Reservists. I've met and am friends with several of them.

[JCMC219]

I wouldn't bank on it JMC. Operation Noble Eagle has called up quite a few USCG Reservists. Homeland Security wasn't a USCG priority mission before, and the planning and CC watchstanding is currently staffed almost entirely by Reservists. I've met and am friends with several of them.

Wow! I really didn't realize that the Reservists were filling so many active duty billets. Good for me to know in considering my future options. Thanks for the heads-up ElColonel!