Difference Between Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve

Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve are the two civilian components of the United States Air Force that provide operational capabilities to fulfill the nation’s defense requirements across the range of military operations. However, unlike the Air Force Reserve, the Air National Guard carries out both federal and state missions. The Air Force Reserve operates part-time and full-time under the command of the President of the United States. Both comprise of Citizen Airmen but the main difference lies in who they report to.

What is an Air National Guard?

Air National Guard is a community-based separate reserve component of the United States Air Force administered by the National Guard Bureau – a joint bureau of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. The most unique aspect of the Air National Guard is that it exists as both a federal and state force. When under the state jurisdiction, the troops report to the Governor of their respective state to fulfill their militia role until the President of the United States orders them back to provide assistance during national emergencies or state emergencies. As a federal reserve force, they serve as an integral part of the field forces of America. The role of the Air National Guard is to protect life and property and preserve peace, order, and public safety under the command of state and federal authorities.

What is an Air Force Reserve?

Air Force Reserve is one of the two civilian components of the United States Air Force, the other being the Air National Guard of the United States. It plays an integral role in the nation’s air, space and cyberspace defenses. Their primary mission is to provide combat ready troops to Fly, Fight and Win. The Air Force Reserve traced its origins back to the National Defense Act of 1916. Today, the Air Force Reserve components play a large role in the total force and perform mostly support missions, including peacetime missions, such as airlift and air medical evacuations. The Air Force Reserve components provide nearly all US based air interceptor capability and a majority of the service’s communications and combat engineering capabilities. Today, the Air Force Reserve consists of over 70,000 Citizen Airmen who provide daily operational capability, strategic depth and surge capacity.

Difference between the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve

Component

– The Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve are the two reserve components of the United States Air Force that provide operational capabilities to fulfill the nation’s defence requirements across the range of military operations. The most unique aspect of the Air National Guard is that it exists as both a federal and state force, meaning The Air Force Reserve operates part-time and full-time under the command of the President of the United States. Both are combat-ready reserve forces ready to provide Air Force mission operational capabilities at all times.

Legal Status

– The Air National Guard typically performs under Title 32 under which they are federally funded but under state control. This means they serve two bosses. Under state jurisdiction, they report to the Governor of their respective state to assist in state emergencies such as civil unrest, or other operations authorized by the State law. They serve at the direction of the state governors until being called upon to active duty under the order of the President of the United States. The Air Force Reserve, on the other hand, is active under Title 10 USC which prohibits them from law enforcement activities unless authorized by the Constitution or law.

Mission

– While the Air National Guard performs both federal and state missions, they are organized, trained and equipped for their federal missions, which take priority over their state-sanctioned missions. Their mission is to provide immediate assistance during national emergencies to the full of their operational capabilities. The Air Force Reserve, on the other hand, plays an integral role in the nation’s air, space and cyberspace defences and their primary mission is to provide combat-ready troops to Fly, Fight and Win.

Air National Guard vs. Air Force Reserve: Comparison Chart

Summary of  Air National Guard vs. Air Force Reserve:

Both the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve are the two reserve components of the United States Air Force that provide operational capabilities to fulfil the nation’s defence requirements across the range of military operations. However, the Air National Guard is subject to the Title 32 of the U.S.C which states that the operations are federally funded but are also under state control. This means the ANG can perform both federal and state missions to the full of their capabilities. They can be called upon by the Governor of their respective states or, by the President of the United States. The Air Force Reserve, on the other hand, is active under the Title 10 U.S.C which gives federal authority over service members. Their mission is to stay combat-ready for national emergencies.

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