Reserve component duty statuses are due for an overhaul, according to a recent report from the Rand Corp.

“The present system of calling National Guard or Reserve members to duty under one of these statuses is widely recognized as being overly complex and problematic,” the report found. “The multiplicity of duty statuses and the varying conditions under which particular duties are authorized and performed create confusion for both commanders and service members.”

Between Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, there are nine different duty types. Under the proposed duty status reform, the duty types would be consolidated into four categories, including contingency duty, training and support, Reserve component duty and remote assignments.

Across the nation, there are over 767,000 selected reserve members. More than 325,000 of them serve in the Army National Guard, while another 176,600 serve in the Army Reserve, according to the Pentagon’s 2023 demographics profile report.

The complexity of the current duty status system creates confusion could deter some commanders from employing National Guard and Reserve members. It also could prevent troops from volunteering for missions and assignments, the Rand report found.

Under the current duty status model, reservists also experience “inequities and disruptions in pay and benefits,” the report found.

Currently, “a member involuntarily ordered to active duty in support of a contingency operation completes required training under a training status and is not eligible for any of the benefits tied to a contingency operation,” according to the report. “Under the proposed construct, the member remains under the same authority for the order from preactivation training through reintegration activities, albeit for different purposes, and will continue to receive the same pay and benefit package.”

Under the new duty system, changes to pay and benefits could include earlier access to Tricare for reservists and their families, transitional health care after reservists are released from active-duty orders and a reduced retirement age, among others.

The Pentagon has taken steps toward duty reform, including creating a working group, but “it will likely take years before” duty status reforms “can be fully implemented,” and they require “extensive statutory changes,” according to the report.

Though the development of the new duty categories is a “significant achievement, much work remains to be done to take the legislation from enactment to implementation,” the report found. 

“If and when the proposed duty construct is fully implemented, it holds the potential to improve the lives of service members and their families by providing a consistent package of pay and benefits and minimizing pay and benefit disruptions,” the report found. “It will also allow DoD and the military services to make the best use of the reserve component in support of the national military strategy.”

Read the full report here.