How do you join the Inactive National Guard?

Answer 1

There is such thing as an "Inactive National Guard." There is also the Inactive Reserves. National Guardsmen meet one weekend a month, and train two weeks a year. Often they are activated and deployed.

Inactive Reserves may or may not be activated, depending on the need of the service. Actually, there is such a thing as Inactive National Guard. You will need the National Guard Almanac for a more proper definition. I remeber reading about it some years ago. If you cannot complete your enlistment obligation, you can request it through your commander. This is usually done due to a hardship or serious illness. NGR 614-1

Answer 2

You don't enlist directly into the Individual Ready Reserve. When you enlist into the military, you commit to an eight year obligation. Let's say you do a four year active duty stint, then decide to ETS without going into a reserve component. You are then placed into the IRR for the remainder of your obligation, during which time, you may be recalled into service.