My goal is to join the Army National Guard or Reserves as an officer and also become a Border Patrol Agent. I am probably another 5-8 months away from finishing the Border Patrol hiring process and I want to join the National Guard or Reserves now. I asked the following questions on a Border Patrol forum and got the following answers. I wanted to crossreference and see if they are accurate. It seems as though the Army or maybe the Border Patrol will put up a lot of resistance as I try and accomplish both. Thanks for the help. My original questions are italicized.



How will the Border Patrol work when I am already in the National Guard or Reserves?

It is not the Patrol's problem: it would be your problem to adapt and overcome. The Patrol honors the law, and expects you to come to work when scheduled.

What if my Basic Training conflicts with a time when my BI interviewer wants to meet with me?

Surprise! Every military base in the US has BI investigators who do nothing all day but interview trainees. Your case would be reassigned to an investigator on post. The Army will cooperate with the federal investigator, but you will need to make up any missed training time with your DI.

I am living in Washington right now. If I do join in Washington, the Border Patrol will obviously want me to shift down to the southern border (this is also where I would rather be an agent). What if my Army unit does not want me to transfer down?

The Army only owns you while you are on active duty. Once you complete AIT, you are a part-time soldier. If you do get hired, you show your unit your DHS paperwork and orders and you say "goodbye." Your unit will cooperate and assist you in transfering to an NG unit in your new state.

Would I have to defer the Border Patrol until I can transfer?

The National Guard cannot prevent you from accepting a civilian job. The Patrol cannot take you from the military if you are on Active Duty. Is that clear?

...how does the 5 month initial Border Patrol training work when I am supposed to be drilling in the Army one weekend per month?

Your weekends in Artesia are your days off. You are free to drill on the weekend. However, you will still need to have boots polished and homework done by 0700 Monday.

what if the Border Patrol puts me in a place where there are no Army units nearby and or I do not have the qualifications to be in the unit that is available?

Then you would need to talk to the Texas or New Mexico or Arizona or California NG recruiters to find a slot and get scheduled for re-training into a job that a local unit has available.