How is the Army National Guard different from the Army Reserve?
The Army Reserve is completely controlled by the federal government and serves solely as a federal reserve to the Active Army. The Army National Guard, on the other hand, may be controlled by either the state or the federal government, depending on the circumstances. The Army Guard force structure consists of Combat, Combat Support and Combat Service Support units, while the Army Reserve force is primarily comprised of Combat Support and Combat Service Support. The ARNG consists of approximately 340,000 soldiers versus just over 200,000 in the USAR. Both organizations are part of The Army, which consists of the Active, Guard and Reserve components.
