What Are the Different Types of Army Reserve Jobs?

Army Reserve jobs encompass nearly every career field found in the private sector along with many that are unique to the Armed Forces. Supply chain, legal, and transportation careers are a few of the positions that might also be held by civilian employees. Other times, soldiers may work as infantrymen, combat engineers, or ammunition specialists. Defense jobs range from entry-level to upper management positions, which means there are Army jobs for soldiers of varying ranks.

Many times, service members enlist in the military to gain practical experience they can use in their civilian occupation. This is because there are jobs in ths Army Reserves that cover a multitude of career fields. Some supply chain positions could include supply technician, food service officer, or parts clerk. Soldiers who hold legal jobs could work as a police officer, legal clerk, or an attorney. Those working in the transportation field could be truck drivers, mechanics, or heavy equipment operators.

Some Army Reserve jobs are not found in the private sector, but are crucial to overall military readiness. This could include infantryman, which are soldiers that navigate areas on foot when engaging the enemy during wartime. Combat engineers might assist infantry soldiers by constructing bridges or roads to help them complete their mission. Infantrymen might also rely on an ammunition specialist to provide armament both during training exercises and real-life battles. Many countries ban women from holding positions that are combat-related, which means most of these positions are held only by male soldiers.

Career progression is a normal part of military service, so many Army Reserve jobs are supervisory in nature. Lower-level management positions could be as a squad leader, with middle management jobs found as a platoon sergeant or senior non-commissioned officer. Upper level management positions might be as a battalion or brigade commander. Supervisory positions are largely determined by rank, but qualification in a military occupational specialty (MOS), civilian education, and the type of military training a service member has can also play a role in this decision as well.

Service members typically perform their Army Reserve jobs part time unless activated in support of national defense. During this time, citizen-soldiers may work alongside their active duty counterparts, performing essentially the same type of work and under the same or similar conditions. Once released from active duty, Army Reserve soldiers then return to their duties on a part-time basis until they are needed to deploy in support of another mission.