Upon being federally recognized, an officer of the Air National Guard shall be appointed as a Reserve for service as a member of the Air National Guard of the United States in the grade that he holds in the Air National Guard. However, an officer of the Air Force Reserve who is federally recognized as an officer of the Air National Guard becomes an officer of the Air National Guard of the United States and ceases to be an officer of the Air Force Reserve. The acceptance of an appointment as a Reserve for service as a member of the Air National Guard of the United States by an officer of the Air National Guard does not vacate his office in the Air National Guard.

When an officer of the Air National Guard to whom temporary Federal recognition has been extended is appointed as a Reserve for service as a member of the Air National Guard of the United States, his appointment shall bear the date of the temporary recognition and shall be considered to have been accepted and effective on that date.

When the Air National Guard of the United States is ordered to active duty, any officer of the Air National Guard who is not a Reserve of the Air Force may be appointed by the President as a Reserve for service as a member of the Air National Guard of the United States in the grade that he holds in the Air National Guard.

(Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 519, § 8351; renumbered § 12212, Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title XVI, § 1662(c)(3), Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2990; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title XV, § 1501(b)(13)(A), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 496.)