RETIRED NAVY AND MARINE CORPS - BECOMING “UNRETIRED:” RECALL TO ACTIVE DUTY
You can be recalled to active duty anytime the service wants you. For this reason, military officials often refer to military retirement/retainer pay as “reduced pay for reduced services.”
Department of Defense (DOD) Directive 1352.1 places retirees into one of three categories, with Category I the most likely to be recalled during times of war, national emergency, or “needs of the service”:
Category I: Nondisabled military retirees under age 60 who have been retired less than five years.
Category II: Nondisabled military retirees under age 60 who have been retired five years or more.
Category III: Military retirees, age 60 or older, and those retired for disability.
Military retired members of any age can be recalled to active duty to face court-martial charges. However, that this does not happen very often. In most cases, the military allows the civilian justice system to process military retirees who engage in misconduct.
