THE UNIVERSITY OF THE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD ATTENDEES
Headquarters
Department of the Army
Washington, DC
6 June 2025
*Army Regulation 135–178
Effective 6 June 2025

Army National Guard and Reserve

Enlisted Administrative Separations

By Order of the Secretary of the Army:

RANDY A. GEORGE
General, United States Army
Chief of Staff

MARK F. AVERILL
Administrative Assistant to the
Secretary of the Army

History. This publication is a mandated revision. The portions affected by this mandated revision are listed in the summary of change.

Authorities. This regulation implements DoDI 1332.14. It establishes policies, standards, and procedures governing the administrative separation of certain enlisted Soldiers of the Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States and the U.S. Army Reserve.

Applicability. This regulation applies to the Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States, and U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers not serving on active duty.

Proponent and exception authority. The proponent of this regulation is the Deputy Chief of Staff, G–1. The proponent has the authority to approve exceptions or waivers to this regulation that are consistent with controlling law and regulations. The proponent may delegate this approval authority, in writing, to the Director, Military Personnel Management and may be further delegated to a division chief within the proponent agency or its direct reporting unit or field operating agency, in the grade of colonel or the civilian equivalent. Activities may request a waiver to this regulation by providing justification that includes a full analysis of the expected benefits and must include formal review by the activity's senior legal officer. All waiver requests will be endorsed by the commander or senior leader of the requesting activity and forwarded through their higher headquarters to the policy proponent. Refer to AR 25–30 for specific requirements.

Army internal control process. This regulation contains internal control provisions in accordance with AR 11–2 and identifies key internal controls that must be evaluated (see appendix B).

Suggested improvements. Users are invited to send comments and suggested improvements on DA FormDA FormDepartment of the Army form 2028 (Recommended Changes to Publications and Blank Forms) directly to usarmy.pentagon.hqda-dcs-g-1.mbx.publishing-team@army.mil.

Distribution. This regulation is available in electronic media only and is intended for the Regular Army, the Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States, and the U.S. Army Reserve.

*This regulation supersedes AR 135-178, dated 21 June 2024.

AR 135–178 • 6 June 2025

UNCLASSIFIED

Active duty See 10 USCUSCUnited States Code 101.

Active Guard and Reserve Duty Active duty performed by a member of an RC of the Army or FTNGD performed by a member of the ARNGARNGArmy National Guard pursuant to an order to FTNGD, for a period of 180 consecutive days or more for the purpose of organizing, administering, recruiting, instructing, or training the RCs. Such term does not include the fol- lowing: provided under 32 USCUSCUnited States Code 112.

Active Guard Reserve A member of an RC who is on active duty pursuant to 10 USCUSCUnited States Code 12301(d) or, if a member of the ARNGARNGArmy National Guard is on FTNGD pursuant to 32 USCUSCUnited States Code 502(f), and who is performing Active Guard and Reserve duty.

Active service Service on active duty or FTNGD.

Active status The status of a member of a RC who is not in the inactive ARNGARNGArmy National Guard, on the Standby Reserve (inactive status list), or in the Retired Reserve.

Administrative separation See 32 CFRCFRCode of Federal Regulations 41.6.

Area command A geographic area of command with RC functions and responsibilities.

Area commanders Commanders of area commands.

Area commands The following are defined as area commands: c . U.S. Army Southern Command. d . U.S. Army Special Operations Command. e . HRCHRCU.S. Army Human Resources Command (both RA and USAR). f . USARCUSARCUnited States Army Reserve Command.

Army See 10 USCUSCUnited States Code 3001.

Army National Guard That part of the organized militia of the several states and territories, Puerto Rico, and the District of Co- lumbia, active, and inactive, that— a . Is a land force. b . Is trained, and has its officers appointed under the sixteenth clause of section 8, article I, of the Consti- tution. c . Is organized, armed, and equipped wholly or partly at Federal expense. d . Is federally recognized.

Army National Guard of the United States The RC of the Army all of whose members are members of the ARNGARNGArmy National Guard.

Basic training See 10 USCUSCUnited States Code 7419(d).

Character of service for administrative separation A determination reflecting a Soldier’s military behavior and performance of duty during a specific period of service. The three characters are honorable, general (under honorable conditions), and under other than honorable conditions. The service of Soldiers in entry level status is normally described as uncharacter- ized.

Contractually obligated Soldier A Soldier who is serving on a contractual obligation or a Soldier enlisted or appointed under circum- stances in which a statutory obligation was not incurred.

Discharge Complete severance from all military status gained through enlistment or induction.

Entry level status See DoDI 1332.14.

Extended active duty Active duty performed by a member of the ARNGUSARNGUSArmy National Guard of the United States or USARUSARUnited States Army Reserve when strength accountability passes from the ARNGARNGArmy National Guard or USARUSARUnited States Army Reserve to the Regular Army.

Full–time National Guard duty Training or other duty, other than inactive duty, performed by a member of the ARNGUSARNGUSArmy National Guard of the United States in the member’s status as a member of the National Guard of a state or territory, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia under 32 USCUSCUnited States Code 316, 32 USCUSCUnited States Code 502, 32 USCUSCUnited States Code 503, 32 USCUSCUnited States Code 504, or 32 USCUSCUnited States Code 505, for which the member is entitled to pay from the United States or for which the member has waived pay from the United States.

General officer command A USARUSARUnited States Army Reserve TPUTPUTroop program unit, commanded by a general officer, at the level of a regional support command or higher, that reports directly to an area command or to U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Com- mand.

Initial entry training Training each Army Soldier must complete upon initial entry in the service to qualify in a military specialty or branch. This training is required by law for deployability on land outside the continental limits of the United States in accordance with 10 USCUSCUnited States Code 671. IETIETInitial entry training encompasses the completion of basic training and specialty or branch qualification while serving on active duty or ADTADTActive duty for training.

Military record A document or other record that pertains to a Soldier’s overall performance while a member of a military service, including personal conduct and performance of duty.

Release from active duty Termination of active duty status and transfer or reversion to an RC, including transfer to the IRRIRRIndividual Ready Reserve.

Reserve of the Army A member of the ARNGUSARNGUSArmy National Guard of the United States or the USARUSARUnited States Army Reserve.

Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadet A student enrolled in the SROTC as a cadet under 10 USCUSCUnited States Code 2104 or 10 USCUSCUnited States Code 2107.

Respondent A designated person involved in an incident or event under investigation by a board in such a way that disciplinary action may follow, the person’s rights or privileges may be adversely affected, or the person’s reputation or professional standing may be jeopardized.

Separation An all-inclusive term which is applied to personnel actions resulting from release from active duty, dis- charge, retirement, dropped from the rolls, release from military control of personnel without a military sta- tus, death, or discharge from the ARNGUSARNGUSArmy National Guard of the United States with concurrent transfer to the Individual Ready, Standby, or Retired Reserve. Reassignments between the various categories of the USARUSARUnited States Army Reserve (Selected, Ready, Standby, or Retired) are not considered as separations.

Separation authority An official authorized by the SECARMYSECARMYSecretary of the Army, or designated official, to take final action with respect to a speci- fied type of separation.

Sex offense An offense from any of the following categories, established by 34 USCUSCUnited States Code 20911: (1) offenses involving a sexual act or sexual contact, as defined by the jurisdiction where the conviction occurred; (2) certain of- fenses against minors, as defined by 34 USCUSCUnited States Code 20911; (3) federal offenses under 18 USCUSCUnited States Code 1591, or 18 USCUSCUnited States Code Chapter 109A or 18 USCUSCUnited States Code Chapter 117; (4) a military offense specified DoDI 1325.07, Enclosure 2, Ap- pendix 4; (5) attempts and conspiracies to commit one of the foregoing offenses; or a military offense specified in AR 27 – 10. For the purposes of this regulation, a conviction for a sex offense includes a plea or finding of guilty, a plea of nolo contendere, and all other actions tantamount to a finding of guilty. The conviction qualifies if it occurred in any U.S. jurisdiction, or in a foreign jurisdiction in accordance with the guidance from the National Guidelines for Sex Offender Registration and Notification (Federal Register Volume 73, Number 128 (73 FR 38030)). A conviction includes a conviction at a general of special court- martial but does not include results from a summary court-martial or nonjudicial punishment under the UCMJUCMJUniformed Code of Military Justice, Art. 15.

Sexual offender See 34 USCUSCUnited States Code 20911.

Standby Reserve See 10 USCUSCUnited States Code 10141.

Troop program unit A table of organization and equipment or table of distribution and allowances unit of the USARUSARUnited States Army Reserve organiza- tion which serves as a unit on mobilization or one that is assigned a mobilization mission. The “unit” in this case is the largest separate unit prescribed by the table of organization and equipment or table of dis- tribution and allowances.

U.S. Army Reserve See 10 USCUSCUnited States Code 10171.

Unsatisfactory participant A member of the Selected or IRRIRRIndividual Ready Reserve who fails to participate as outlined in AR 135 – 91.