Bottom line: Yes — you can request to make up a drill you'll miss, through an RIDT (Rescheduled Inactive Duty Training). It's a formal request to your commanding officer. Approval isn't automatic; it depends on your reason and your unit's mission. Submit it early.
What an RIDT is
An RIDT — Rescheduled IDT (Inactive Duty Training) — is a formal request to the commanding officer of your unit to make up a scheduled drill at a different time when you can't attend the regular drill weekend. It's the proper channel for "I have a conflict and can't make this drill" — you reschedule it rather than simply skip it.
What counts as an acceptable reason
Acceptable reasons vary by unit, and the commanding officer approves or declines based heavily on the unit's mission and readiness needs. Work conflicts, travel, school, and genuine hardships are common grounds — but there's no universal list, because what one unit can absorb another can't.
How to do it right
- Check your company or battalion guidance — each unit can have its own RIDT request form and its own requirements for what you need to submit. (As one example, here's a unit's blank RIDT form — yours may differ.)
- Request it ahead of time. An early, documented request is treated very differently from a no-show.
- Reschedule, don't skip. Done right, the made-up drill still counts toward your year.