20 would be the goal, but under my terms. If it does not go the way I want, This is potentially my last flying gig. So I would rather get a four year head start. I have looked at money, and it is pretty much a wash. I will use the reserves as a backup plan and certainly to get me to a retirement paycheck at 60.

T6,

PM sent.

Otherwise, yes I am looking at guard or reserve options, but I'm not willing to count on that until I get a unit to say they will hire me. Everyone I talk to says that they have somewhere between 20-40 people applying for each open TR slot. Those are the good options, most units are telling me that they are overmanned on TR slots but they might have ART/AGR options. Looks like everyone has the same idea that I do.

With 16 years AD, you'll be close to a 20-year retirement paycheck when you turn 60. If you wait, you'll lose four years worth of seniority which is invaluable.

With your 16 years AD, you may have to go longer in the NG/Reserve in order to qualify for retirement. I retired from the ARNG and my entire time was NG. I seem to remember some obscure ARNG regulation requiring eight years minimum if one was prior-service like you. It may have been ARNG specific...I'm not certain.

With 16 years in, an AD retirement is easily in reach through the Guard/Res with an AGR stint or two. It would be more disappointing to realize you gave up 4-5 years of seniority at a career airline in lieu of an active duty retirement when you could have had both.

TriCare Reserve Select is the best health insurance value money can buy, anecdotally speaking.

It's not that simple though. It's unlikely they'll give you an AGR that they know from the get go will put you into sanctuary as a pinned on AD O-5. Any younger than that, and you won't have enough time to make it to 20 Active before you tap out on USERRA, unless you start pulling piecemeal contingency deployments that are USERRA exempt, or change "career" airlines after 5 years, which defeats the entire scheme.

But to your point, I too would much prefer slugging AD credit point collecting on a piecemeal basis in the ARC any day of the week and twice on Sunday, than endure the Active Duty madness. That place jumped the shark a while ago. :D

Snap,

Another thing to think about is that if you get involuntary separated you continue to receive tricare for 6 months.

Denzel

Actually, it is. I know several guys doing this, all ranging from 13-16 years when they got out of AD, all O-4s (except for the passed over O-3s, who are now O-4s). Mostly in the Tanker and UPT world, but some fighter.

It's not just AGR you have to consider, but also AT, ST, and MPA. There's always too much flying/not enough bodies, nobody who wants to go on the 2-week trip, more students than IPs, and that Pentagon/MAJCOM tour (you can pretty much demand any staff job come with an API code these days) no one wants. You have to be willing to possibly change airframes or move to DC or your nearest UPT base, but it is the Guard/Res, it is way better than AD, and you can easily get an AD retirement and a seniority number by "quitting" (the AF is jealous of us quitters!) at 16 years.

Again TRS is money.

Maybe not the most popular side of the argument, but also consider.....
Full AD 20 retirement pay starts immediately and is COLA protected. It's a nice augmentation to first year pay (and subsequent years) and is invaluable in the event of unforeseen circumstances such as furloughs (ask me how I know...twice), temporary FAA medical groundings and strikes . Tricare is immediate and is far better than airline medical plans. That has saved me and my family another approximately $400+ a month in premiums. It may not make up for 4 years seniority (especially with current hiring), but it is still something to consider. The status quo is one 9/11 type event, war, pandemic, oil supply change or stock market correction away from reversal. Not trying to persuade one way or the other, just keeping it real.