About the MD-ESGR

Employers of America’s National Guard and Reserve members have become inextricably linked to a strong national Defense. For this reason, the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), an agency within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, was established 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve component members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee's military commitment. Today ESGR operates through a network of more than 4,500 volunteers through 55 committees located in each state, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Europe. The nation's Ready Reserve components comprise approximately 46 percent of our total available military manpower, excluding retirees. The current National Defense Strategy indicates that the National Guard and Reserve, while decreasing in size, will be full partners in the fully integrated Total Force. Our Reserve forces will spend more time away from the workplace defending the nation, supporting a demanding operations tempo and training to maintain their mission readiness. The Department of Defense tasks ESGR to "…promote both public and private understanding of the National Guard and Reserve in order to gain employer and community support for the Reserve components as demonstrated through implementing personnel programs, policies, and practices that encourage employee and citizen participation in the National Guard and Reserve." (DoD Directive 1250.1)