Dual status technicians are full-time members of the Guard and Reserve. And now many people are working without pay.
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Approximately 46,000 full-time U.S. military personnel remain unpaid during the federal government shutdown, despite President Donald Trump’s calls for active duty soldiers to be paid.
Affected military personnel, known as dual-status technicians, are full-time employees of the National Guard and other reserve units who, under federal law, are required to wear military uniform every day, maintain part-time military personnel, and meet military standards. According to the Fiscal Year 2025 Defense Policy Act, the military currently has about 46,000 dual-duty engineer positions spread across critical functions such as helicopter and airplane maintenance, technical support, weapons repair, and management support for isolated units.
What about the prey? Dual-status engineers are technically civilian employees of the Department of Defense, even though their duties have military aspects in nature. And while Defense Department civilian employees are unpaid during the ongoing federal government shutdown, many (including most engineers) must continue to work because of their critical national security work.
Deemed a “rare bird” by the Supreme Court, dually qualified technicians often work side-by-side with active-duty members of the force, receiving different pay and benefits for similar duties and risks. Active-duty colleagues also received their full paychecks on Oct. 15 after President Trump directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to move about $6.5 billion into payroll. (The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to inquiries from USA TODAY.)
Advocates from the tech community who spoke to USA TODAY expressed frustration at what they believe is an unfair deal.
“It’s clearly unfair. You come to any unit and you don’t know who’s who. (Active-duty soldiers and engineers) are literally indistinguishable,” said retired Army Maj. Gen. Francis McGinn, president of the National Guard Association and former commander in chief of the Massachusetts National Guard. He worries that those paying technicians have “slipped through the cracks” amid the chaos of the shutdown.
McGinn added that furloughing or not paying dual-status technicians risks compromising the National Guard’s readiness. The organization’s aviation assets (mainly kept in the air by mechanics) are often taken on unannounced missions, such as rescuing stranded hikers or responding to natural disasters.
The legislative director of the Civilian Engineers Association, a union representing dual-status engineers, told USA TODAY that the Trump administration’s moves against federal employees have “demoralized” this important segment of the military.
“These people are hired to do a job and they’re trying to do it well,” said Les Hackett of ACT. “And then there are the people who basically say their jobs aren’t needed and that everyone is lazy.”
Mr. Hackett and Mr. McGinn, both retired National Guard and dual-licensed engineers, argued that the pay disparity is just the latest manifestation of disparities in employee pay and benefits. Dual-status technicians, unlike other technicians, are not eligible for military health insurance (until 2030), do not receive valuable time-based education benefits like the post-9/11 GI Bill, and cannot receive VA disability treatment or pay for injuries sustained outside of training weekends.
Gen. McGinn argued that the simplest solution to the problem at hand is for Congress to pass a continuing resolution and negotiate a year-round defense spending bill.
Disclosure: USA TODAY reporter Davis Winkie is a member of NGAUS.
