Originally Posted by
cheap
Good post JP.
A distinction worth mentioning: getting 20 years of "points" (or 7200 points, or 7300, or 7305 depending on who you ask) doesn't trigger an active duty retirement because AD time converts to reserve points but not the other way around. AD retirement only comes from 20 years of active duty time, which any Title 10 orders qualify for of course, and for guard/reserve guys is considered an AGR retirement (per Reserves AFPC). Big picture - points earned doing things like ALO or CAPRAP as a Cat-E reservist for points only, TR drills, etc. don't get guys any closer to their AD 20 requirement. Kinda threw a big wrench in my original plans when I discovered this; I was planning on being a Cat-E guy for five years or so to finish out but scrapped that plan when I figured out it'd only earn me a normal reserve retirement at age 60.
20x365=7300. Don't know why there is any confusion about that.
You don't necessarily need T10 orders to get AD points as some T32 orders also contribute to AD points. There are T32 AD orders galore out there if you know where to look and willing to change lane.
PME add extra points to your guard retirement but not AD. Not all points are the same, it all depends on how your orders are written. Check your PCARS for points in the AD column. And make sure the points add up correctly, most of the time it's wrong.
BTW avoid AF Reserve if possible, it's just AD lite.