How does stop loss work?

Question

If you complete another active duty tour due to stop loss, is it fairly impossible for the army to retain you on active duty after that. And, if you then go to the reserves, what is the likelyhood you can be called back to active duty?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Stop loss means that your enlistment can be extended with out limit to meet the "needs of the service". This has always been the case, but has seldom been used except in WWII.

No, when you signed your contract, you singed a document that effectively surrendered all your rights. Did you read the clause that says you will obey the orders of your superiors? If they say that you stay, then you have agreed to stay.

In the reserves nothing has changed in respect to obeying the orders of your superiors.Likelyhood depends on who is in charge and the current political climet.

Answer 2

Stop Loss keeps anyone from leaving or changing (from active to reserve) their status. However, I don't belive Stop Loss has been initiated since 2003 (it ended in the summer/fall or 2003).

Reserves are on a rotation schedule for activation but at a slower pace then active forces. Likelyhood of activation just depends on the unit.

Answer 3

Stoploss is very much still part of the military (the army, anyway). I don't know about the other branches. It's based on unit, not MOS or anything individual like that.

Here's how it works, more or less:

If your branch manager is a jerk, you're going to be sent to end up deploying right before you're supposed to get out. Once you get back, you'll be out within 90 days, if you so choose. They can't deploy a unit again within 90 days of its return. It's just not possible. You can, however, end up in another unit that is getting ready to deploy after that 90 days guaranteed stabalization is up.

The going word is, if you are in the reserve component, you can't deploy for two years after you get back. That applies to any deployment, even if it was with active duty. I've read the regulation, but don't remember the exact wording.

If you tansition into the IRR, you're subject to call-up as soon as you transition into it. But that's highly unlikely. The only people I remember them calling back so far are people who didn't outprocess from the IRR properly.

An, of course, after 8 years of total service, you no longer have to participate in the IRR. But you have to outprocess, just like anywhere else.

Answer 4

I am an MP and we got stop loss orders while in Kuwait. It's a back door draft and really pissed off a lot of people. It means that you are involuntarily kept on active duty past your ETS. It's a great way to make sure no one re enlists. In fact as soon as we got back home those who had enlistments already expired, not one re enlisted. Surprise surprise. As far as getting called to active duty as a reservist depends on if the Army needs you. A National Guard artillery unit just left here to train as MP's then off to Iraq.

Answer 5

You are on stop loss for a period of time after you get back (90 days I think). If you join the National Guard, you are nondeployable for at least 12 months due to stabilization.

On the front end, stop loss takes effect when the your UIC gets an alert order.