[2] Air Reserve Technicians carry a dual status, working as both full-time Department of the Air Force civil service (DAFC) employees and as uniformed Reserve Component USAF military members in the same AFRC or ANG units where they work as civil servants, performing the same job function whether in a DAFC or a military status.
In their technically "civil service" role, Air Reserve Technicians are physically located at their AFRC or ANG unit and provide full-time day-to-day support for their units throughout the year, be it at the squadron, group, wing, numbered air force (NAF) or major command (MAJCOM) level.
Because uniformed military reserve status is a pre-condition of their employment as DAFC civil servants, ARTs, specifically senior officers and senior enlisted, are typically exempt from the mandatory retirement dates for their military pay grades and are retained in uniform until reaching civil service retirement eligibility, notionally at age 60.
In this sense, they are very similar to the Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) Air Force personnel also assigned to AFRC and ANG units, although the Navy Reserve TAR and Marine Corps AR personnel operate in a continuous active duty track with associated permanent change of station (PCS) reassignments similar to, but somewhat distinctive from, their Regular Navy and Regular Marine Corps counterparts.
Their jobs span a broad spectrum within these organizations, including commander at the squadron, group and wing level, as well as various other Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSCs).
ART manpower in the Air National Guard comprised a slightly higher percentage, numbering approximately 18,000 personnel or +/- 17% of total Air National Guard personnel strength in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia.