Critical mission. An operational mission that requires the skills or resources available in a Reserve component or components.
Critical requirement. A requirement in which the incumbent possesses unique knowledge, extensive experience, and specialty skill training to successfully fulfill the duties or responsibilities in support of the mission, operation or exercise. Also, a requirement in which the incumbent must gain the necessary experience to qualify for key senior leadership positions within his or her Reserve component.
Escalator position. This is established by the principle that the returning Service member is entitled to the position of civilian employment that he or she would have attained had he or she remained continuously employed by that civilian employer. This may be a position of greater or lesser responsibilities, to include a layoff status, when compared to the employees of the same seniority and status employed by the company.
Impossible or unreasonable. For the purpose of determining when providing advance notice of uniformed service to an employer is impossible or unreasonable, the unavailability of an employer or employer representative to whom notification can be given, an order by competent military authority to report for uniformed service within forty-eight hours of notification, or other circumstances that the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs may determine are impossible or unreasonable are sufficient justification for not providing advance notice of pending uniformed service to an employer.
Military necessity. For the purpose of determining when providing advance notice of uniformed service is not required, a mission, operation, exercise or requirement that is classified, or a pending or ongoing mission, operation, exercise or requirement that may be compromised or otherwise adversely affected by public knowledge is sufficient justification for not providing advance notice to an employer.
Non-career service. The period of active uniformed service required to complete the initial uniformed service obligation; a period of active duty or full-time National Guard duty that is for a specified purpose and duration with no expressed or implied commitment for continued active duty; or participation in a Reserve component as a member of the Ready Reserve performing annual training, active duty for training or inactive duty training. Continuous or repeated active uniformed service or full-time National Guard duty that results in eligibility for a regular retirement from the Armed Forces is not considered non-career service.
Officer. For determining those Service officials authorized to provide advance notice to a civilian employer of pending uniformed service by a Service member or an individual who has applied for uniformed service, an officer shall include all commissioned officers, warrant officers, and non-commissioned officers authorized by the Secretary concerned to act in this capacity.
Uniformed service. Performance of duty on a voluntary or involuntary basis in the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marine Corps or the Coast Guard, including their Reserve components, when the Service member is engaged in active duty, active duty for special work, active duty for training, initial active duty for training, inactive duty training, annual training or full-time National Guard duty, and, for purposes of this part, a period for which a person is absent from a position of employment for the purpose of an examination to determine the fitness of the person to perform such duty.