Joining ARNG / Deployment and Workup Questions

[ASO544]

Prior Service Marine in the process of joining the ARNG and I have a few (actually a lot!!) questions.

I know I have to go to a 2 week ARNG course to receive my 11B MOS. Not sure where this will be located. I am then wanting to immediately volunteer for deployment to Iraq or Afganistan with a unit (Infantry) getting ready to deploy.

I know that the AD Army has extended their deployments to 15 months, but I was told that the ARNG were still 12 months. Is this correct?

Also, what kind of time frame are the workups (MOB I believe they are called) prior to deploying? I think I read where they were 2 months so a deployemtn would really be 14 months or 17 months since the MOB time would also be away from home as well.

Can one deploy to a unit already in theater that has not been there that long?

Thanks for any and all help,

ASO544

[Sugarbear]

Prior Service Marine in the process of joining the ARNG and I have a few (actually a lot!!) questions.

I know I have to go to a 2 week ARNG course to receive my 11B MOS. Not sure where this will be located. I am then wanting to immediately volunteer for deployment to Iraq or Afganistan with a unit (Infantry) getting ready to deploy.

I know that the AD Army has extended their deployments to 15 months, but I was told that the ARNG were still 12 months. Is this correct?

Also, what kind of time frame are the workups (MOB I believe they are called) prior to deploying? I think I read where they were 2 months so a deployemtn would really be 14 months or 17 months since the MOB time would also be away from home as well.

Can one deploy to a unit already in theater that has not been there that long?

Depends. I am former Marine, with an apache unit in AZ. They are over there for 12 months. Their pre-deployment training was 6 months, for 18 months total. Varies on your MOS.

Yes, you can go over to a unit already deployed. Should look at your contract. Does it specify Rear Detachment? If not, you could go immediately.

[AbnMtn]

Sugarbear is correct in stating that it all depends on the unit and the mission. I'm an infantryman who volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan (the deployment was 13 months from mobilization to return - this was including the train up). My unit was then mobilized to Iraq a month after my return from Afghanistan (I didn't go with them but the deployment period was for a total of 18 months). Now I may be looking at a second deployment to Afghanistan for a period of 12 months (from mob to return). I think the type of mission plays a more significant role than the type of unit being deployed.

[matthew.ritchie]

The 15 month deployments you've read about are a temporary measure, as part of "the surge." This is actually a bad term, since "the surge" didn't really mean that more troops would suddenly show up, but that the ones there would stay a little longer, and the ones planning to go would arrive a little sooner, and the overlap would be a spike in the troop strength in theater.

By SecDef policy, ARNG mobilizations are now 12 months (with 30 days added at the end for block leave, but since you're at home not on duty during that time, that doesn't really count). That makes the trainup period challenging, but it is manageable. Formerly we had mobilizations of up to 18 months, about 12 of which were spent overseas.