GFRD time committment

[CDTCHIN]

I am thinking for applying for a GFRD scholarship with the VT national guard. I go to A senior military school. With the GFRD does the 8 year committment start at the date of commissioning or does the SMP time that you do while in school count towards the 8 years. Does the 8years all have to be guard time or does 4 of those years include the IRR. Do you have to IRR or can you serve your full time in the guard? Can you transfer to active duty or do you have to stay in the guard since they are the ones who paid for school?
Does contracting/commissioning with the guard improve my chances of branching what I want (MP) versus active duty?
Thanks for your help.

[matthew.ritchie]

Your legal military service obligation starts at enlistment, but the scholarship obligates you contractually to an additional term, which is eight years drilling after commissioning. Your previous enlisted time does not count towards this obligation, obviously, since basically you need to "work off" your scholarship. By law you are obligated to the reserve component for eight years after commissioning, and are not eligible for accession into the active component (although you are certainly eligible for mobilization with your reserve component unit).

If you have a commitment to the National Guard, you can get a pinpoint assignment as early as your MS III year, and lock in a specific branch or even a specific unit. You simply can't do this with the active component. With active duty, you ask for what you ask for, and you get what you get. With the Guard you have more influence over your own destiny.