National Guard Drill Weekends, Need some clarification?

Question

I have heard so many things about a basic MUTA 5 drill weekend. This consists of Friday-Sunday we usually get out @ 1600-1700 on sunday and show up @ 1900 on Friday. My main question is how is this broken down? I hear a MUTA is a 4 hour period and i hear something about a 12-12 thing. Most people say 1 MUTA=4 hour period. So a MUTA 5 would consist of 20 hours right? Well if we have to stay on a base somewhere over night (friday and saturday night) and they will not let you drive there nor go anywhere while you are there, we are on THEIR time right? so this would make it a MUTA 10 by time the weekend is over with. Can i get some clarification or even a website that would help me understand this better. Thank you in advance!

Answer 1

It can be a little confusing but a MUTA is not really time based. Basically every day you go to drill is 2 MUTA's. So that full work day at drill may be 8 hours, or it may be 12 hours. Essentially another definition for a MUTA is the equivalent of an active duty day. So if you get a 5 MUTA weekend, you will get paid the equivalent for 5 active duty days.



Going to overnight FTX's where you are there from 1900 on Friday to 1700 on Sunday is still a MUTA 5. This is because your full day was just 24 hours long rather than 8. People who say a MUTA is 4 hours are not wrong, but that is just a rule of thumb rather than the actual rule.



Remember, we in the army train to standard and not to time.

Answer 2

Are you just starting OCS & want to complain about conditions already? Suck it up. I don't know a situation other then that where you must stay on base. I go home at night when I drill with my unit, go out at night too if I want. People that live over 50miles get a hotel room, drive there, back, and to lunch or anywhere else I want.



MUTA is technically a half work day period, generally consisting of four hours. That doesn't mean there won't be situations where you'll stay longer or get out early & still only be paid the set number of MUTAs. I don't know what kind of website you're looking for or why you're on yahoo answers trying to figure this out, but you can go look at some regs or ask your first line supervisor to explain it to you.

Answer 3

One four hour period is considered what they call a training period for which you can be paid for. That along with the fact that you can only be paid for up to two training periods per calendar day is a factor in this. You are off outside of those training periods there per say but in a Guard Training Status so they do have control over you until you sign out at the end of the MUTA. There are some other incidentals to all this like they pay double for each MUTA training period so you are actually getting paid for eight hours for each four hour period. This was started back in the late 60s in the Guard and Reserve as a means to increase the pay for those that joined and to try and keep the retention rates up and has continued ever since. Recently one of the payment type arrangements was stopped for what they call IMAs who are active duty assigned Reserve for what they call IDTs due to budget cuts. While that was done there is no plans to alter or change these other things at this time as it would cause huge retention and re-enlistment problems for both the Guard and Reserve.

Answer 4

I do have friends in the National Guard. I can clarify how a drill weekend works from my reserve years as a Naval Air reserve member.



Saturday Morning, 0730-1130 (1 drill)/Afternoon, 1230-1630 (1 drill), Sunday is same. 4 total drills if you are present for the whole weekend. Pay for 1 drill equals a days pay using Active Duty pay scale including "time in rank".



I am assuming 12-12 refers to a minimum 12 days Annual Active Duty for each 12 months as a guard member attached.



My National Guard friends can do additional drills if they are able to report on Friday of a scheduled weekend at a specified time working through a 4 hour period, for a 5th paid drill. Some guard units also have available weeknights to earn additional. Remember, 1 drill period (4 hours) also is equal to 1 point for retirement and part of the necessary total annual points for a "satisfactory" year.



Hope this helps, Good Luck, stay positive.

Answer 5

If employed, and a drill is a MUTA 6, is the soldier required to attend drill on a week day if drill falls on a weekday as in a MUTA 6?

Answer 6

I've served in the Guard for 19 years now. I don't ever remember drilling on Memorial, Labor, Independence Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving, OR the Super Bowl.

Answer 7

I will get clarification for you, my husband is AD and works at a reserve base. He's the platoon ssg on drill weekends so I'll ask him for you and post it as soon as I get it

Answer 8

I suggest you contact your leadership for clarification. You are also supplied with a manual and several other documents that are detailed in their explanation - inlcuding times for certain trainings etc......look to that also.