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Active Reserve or AR, is a program by which IRR (Individual Ready Reserve – non drilling reserve, where everyone goes once their commitments are completed) or SMCR (Select Marine Corps Reserve – drilling reserve), can go on active duty to fill a billet needed in support of the reserve mission… such as the RSU or Reserve Support Unit on the base or in the MEF HQ. Other billets exist at Division and sometimes regimental staff. While you are getting paid as active duty with full benefits, you are on a much shorter contract. It is all a bunch of accounting “smoke and mirrors”. Congress sets an authorized strength for the Marine Corps, and will only fund that amount. AR Marines are paid with different funds and are not counted against active duty strength numbers.

When you son finishes his SMCR commitment, or wishes to leave his reserve unit to go active – AR is one of the programs he could do. However, he wouldn’t find himself in a rifle company, he’d be in a position that somehow supports the reserve mission – my experience with AR was either RSU or Division G-3 or G-4.