Individual Ready Reserve Information from After the Corps

For many Marines finishing their four years of service, active-duty is not the end of their career in the Marine Corps.

Marine Individual Ready Reserve

All Marines are required to go through the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) after their initial active-service comes to an end, unless he or she chooses to reenlist. If a recruit enlists prior to the required age of enlistment, he or she would be placed in the Delayed Entry Program. The benefit of the Delayed Entry Program is that it counts towards the time spent in the IRR after separation from the service. So, if your Marine was in delayed entry for one year, he or she would only be in the IRR for 3 years after separation.

The Marine Corps IRR is a part of the Marine Corps Ready Reserve, and includes the Selective Marine Corps Reserve (SMC) unit, Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA), Active Reserve (AR), and Inactive Duty for Training (IDT) Marines.

IRR Marines have some administrative obligations and one training requirement (to attend an IRR Administrative Muster for administrative screening, if ordered). There are also opportunities to continue serving while in the IRR. Lastly, there are various benefits, as members of the military during a time of war, that are available to IRR Marines, most of which are through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) is part of the Ready Reserve of the Reserve Component of the Armed Forces of the United States and is composed of former active-duty or reserve military personnel, and is authorized under 10 U.S.C. ch. 1005. The IRR is composed of enlisted personnel and officers, from all ranges of Military Occupational Specialties, including combat arms, combat support, and combat service support.

Individuals assigned to the IRR receive no pay and are not obligated to drill, conduct annual training, or participate in any military activities (except for periodic Muster activities) until ordered by Presidential Authority. Individuals assigned to "Inactive Status" are entitled to limited benefits. These benefits include:

• entitlement to a military ID Card
• ID cards for dependents
• PX (exchange) benefits
• commissary benefits
• morale welfare and recreation (MWR) benefits

An individual assigned to the IRR may receive pay and full benefits (including medical care and dental care for member and dependents) for voluntarily performing specific types of active duty. By law, IRR members are only required to retain possession of their service uniforms, their military identification card, and notify their service branch if they have a change of address. Upon presidential recall, service members typically have their medical and personal statuses screened in order to qualify or disqualify them for activation. During the process, IRR members who seek to delay, defer, or exempt their activations have the opportunity to present their case to the mobilization authority for a decision.

IRR Marines, Marine Corps Photo, 2004.