President Joe Biden’s executive order for 2023’s Operation Atlantic Resolve caused an uproar many veterans, when it appeared to give the greenlight to recalling members of the Individual Ready Reserve, or IRR. Though the order limited IRR activations to 450, but for many more it set of questions about muster duty events and whether they are mandatory.
The answer is: yes, your branch’s muster duty event is mandatory, but there are many exceptions you may qualify for and what happens if you just don’t go is anyone’s guess.
Depending on the branch you’re an IRR member of, you may need to log in to a portal to update your information. Some muster duty events require you to show up in person.
But that doesn’t mean you’re getting pulled back into active duty or deploying.
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The IRR and muster duty, explained
The IRR is a category of the Ready Reserve of the Reserve Component of the U.S. military. It is composed of veterans or reserve military personnel, and its governing statute is Title 10 of the U.S. Code § 10144.
Regardless of what branch a veteran served in, enlisted agree to an IRR term when they sign their initial Military Service Obligation. When you leave active duty, but are still within that IRR term, you are placed in IRR status.
But for most veterans, means very close to nothing in their daily lives. But hypothetically, it could.
In an emergency — which is to say, war — services could be authroized to recall IRR members to active duty if manpower is needed. Biden’s 2023 was exactly that on a small scale.
But muster duty events are held for IRR members for accountability. The branches use them to check the readiness of their IRR.
Muster duty is annual and typically involves administrative updates on an IRR member’s current address, phone number, and whether they meet the physical standards of service. Some muster duty events consist of PowerPoint presentations and filling out forms to provide updates on any changes in your life, while others are online.
These events will either quickly remind you why you got out of the military or perhaps convince you to jump back in. Many who attend IRR events say that recruiters are usually present looking for prior service sign-ups. Muster duty events will rarely be longer than 2 to 4 hours.
IRR members will not need to be shaved, ready for a PT test, or go through a drug test durint muster duty. But the good news is that you should get paid.
The current pay stipend for all branches is $242.50 for attending the muster duty event; many consider that free beer money or maybe a date with that special someone.
On the other hand, if you are ordered to muster duty halfway across the country, don’t buy a plane ticket. You will not be reimbursed, according to the different branch IRR websites. The Marine Corps’ website says that any travel outside of 150 miles should be discussed with an IRR official.
Services expect you to show up
Task & Purpose asked officials in each branch the importance of events and the consequences of missing one.
A Navy spokesperson stressed the importance of muster duty events. “The Navy takes participation in IRR musters seriously, as these events are crucial for maintaining readiness and updating important personnel information,” a spokesperson said in an email. Missing your Navy IRR muster duty, the service said, could result in administrative actions outside of impacts to benefits and missed opportunities to accrue retirement points.
“The Navy takes participation in IRR musters seriously, as these events are crucial for maintaining readiness and updating important personnel information. IRR members that do not participate in the screening process may face possible repercussions spanning administrative actions, impacts to benefits, and missed opportunities to accrue retirement points. IRR Sailors are encouraged to communicate proactively with their chain of command if they are unable to attend a scheduled muster.” CDR Robert Myers, Force PAO, Commander, Navy Reserve Forces (CNRFC)
The Air Force had a much stronger comment, saying, “A member who fails to appear at muster duty could be ordered to active duty and/or punished under Article 15 or court-martial.”
The Marine Corps, on the other hand, took a more inclusive approach. Mr. Adam Bashaw, Deputy Director of Communication Strategy & Operations for the Marine Forces South/Marine Forces Reserve, said the service could discharge inactive status Marines from the IRR if they fail to attend muster duty events, but they prefer not to and have not to date.
“We prefer to work with the Marine so we can keep them in the Corps,” Bashaw said. “The musters offer valuable information about services and resources available to IRR Marines they might not be aware exist for them.”
An Army spokesperson told Task & Purpose that a former soldier who misses an IRR muster could be “considered an unsatisfactory participant which could result in early discharge. Failing to complete this obligation may affect benefits at separation.”
But perhaps most relevantly, if you were in an in-demand MOS in the Army, skipping your IRR muster will probably not get you out of a mobilization, if it occurs: Failure to complete the muster will not prevent members of the IRR from mobilization if grade/skills are required in the future,” the spokesperson said.
What vets say
Under the Reddit thread “r/Veterans,” there are countless responses from people from different branches saying they did not respond to their muster duty event orders and nothing happened afterward. Some comments were rather comical:
“Do not go in uniform, do not salute anyone or stand at parade rest, do not shave, do not respect their time, and fuck it, just don’t go.”
“I have never showed up to an IRR muster or responded in any way. I’m currently using my GI Bill. Nothing will happen to you.”
“If you reenlist you’ll never get an IRR muster again.”
All jokes aside, two facts are 100% certain: you will not get $242.50 in beer money if you do not attend your muster duty event.
The Department of Veterans Affairs did not respond to questions asking if missing IRR muster duty could adversely affect veterans’ VA benefits, but in the Title 10 statute that governs the IRR and responsibilities of members, there is nothing identified as a federally mandated repercussion for missing muster duty, including adverse effects to VA benefits/
All branches concluded that if you cannot make your muster duty event, the distance you have to drive seems too far, or otherwise seems misplaced, contact your service branch’s IRR for further direction.