I've been out so this is how I remember it and how recent retirees have explained it - you get a point for every day of AD. Get 7365(?) points and you start getting checks.

That's 20 yrs of service. If you're a reservist you have to spend more than 20 yrs accumulating it. Recent coworker had 33 yrs of service and over 7365 pts.

How do they get the points? Many got it from the recent furloughs. Others volunteer for AD orders and take a MLOA(military leave of absence) from their civilian job.

Guys don't go into the reserves expecting to get retirement prior to 60. They join the reserves/ANG because even waiting to 60 it's a better deal. When they do get a retirement check prior to 60 it means they spent a LOT of time on AD even as a reservist. It's a lot of work, they earned their points.

And there's been a recent program that reduced the age 60 start date by one day for every day spent on orders during the current conflict. So two years on orders reduced the start date to 58 yrs old. No clue if that's still in effect or if it will be available in the future.


The short answer is still - guys typically say reserves/ANG is a better choice. AD has more options (test pilot school, Blue Angels/Thunderbirds) and other schools/exercises. But overall the majority prefer reserve/ANG over AD, especially in the current hiring environment.