Why don't all members of the Air Force have to be fully qualified to be a rifleman in case of hostile events?

When I retired from the AF in 92 there were two categories regarding weapons training. Cat A was SF LE, pilots, any person required to carry a weapon on a daily basis to guard high value items ( supply types moving drugs etc). Cat B was pretty much everybody else. You were required to qualify on the M-16 in basic. Later when you went overseas you received training on the M-16 enlisted, M-9 officers. Once over seas you went once a year to requalify. You were also taught the basics, clearing, cleaning and of course disassembly and assembly. ( yes I had one student who could not assemble the three basic parts groups of the M16). You were also taught ammunition packaging. How to identify what the caliber was how it was stored and how to break down the crates to get the ammo. Medical services were also trained. About the only ones that weren't were the chaplains. Rudimentary but better than nothing.

As a reactor operator, I didn't have a need for rifle training. As a civilian, I paid for my missing training myself. Such is life.

Me personally I don't care if your a rear echelon or on a ship, special ops, pilot, air crew, artillery, engineer, medical, science or infantry I believe we all should go through basic rifle marksmanship going through basic it was very nerve racking when I was in the Navy it took going out to the fleet to learn rifle marksmanship we live in a world where there is no front lines today got to have that capability. I think it should be standard for all branches.

I was part of CE for my first 6 years and had to qualify annually. Also I deployed to an Army FOB for 7 months as a Firefighter/EMT and the base was loaded with nothing but Army. Air Force ran the medical mission and security. There were more than 300 SF out there defending the base. I'll never forgot how to assemble/disassemble an M16/M9/M4. I think once a year is good for every AFSC. I didn't realize every AFSC didn't qualify once a year until I became a recruiter. What a shame, just one day a year and everyone wants to complain about money, training comes first!

This is a problem in the AF mentality. We forget Korea, when one of our bases was overrun and the enemy slaughtered Air Police, maintenance, anyone left. Yeah, you need to know how to fight, and how to shoot, rifle or pistol. You just never know, and history has a nasty habit of repeating itself for those who ignore. Change the mentality, get the kids shooting in Basic, make all base personnel qualify yearly with the M-9, every two years on the M-4/M-16 platform and selected troops on belt fed weapons. You cannot count on a handful of cops to completely secure your base, especially downrange. We don't have enough bodies. And you cannot expect the AF to evac everyone in time, nor should we count on the Army or the Marines to pull us out of the fire.

An an AF firefighter I was on the PRIME BEEF team....this is the Civil Engineering deployable team that would be sent to forward operating locations. We were required to qualify every year with our weapons since we never knew where we might be going. AF SF were the primary defense but we knew how to use our weapons if we had to.

When I joined the AF women weren't allowed to qualify with a weapon unless we were stationed overseas. Really disappointed me. After getting out and joining the ANG I ended up on a base where everyone had to qualify with an M-16 and a pistol...except Headquarters where I worked. Luckily I was able to piggy back with another unit to finally get a chance to qualify which is did.

But, here's the thing. The AF is not the Army or the Marines. We are not riflemen first, were never meant to be ground troops. Our qualifying with a weapon was only in case our base were to be under attack, overrun. That was why, when I first joined, women had to qualify when going overseas but not before.

But hey, if any AF member wants to get qualified and stay qualified with M-4/M-16/M-9 I think they should be able to.

Wait when I was in basic, we all had to qualify with the m-16a1, did that change?

all our military must be at a minimum basic infantrymen with the base skills. shoot, clean rifle, wear gas mask and shit in the woods.officers included even pilots

I would have gone to the range monthly. I was in Combat Comm, insert your jokes at will, and only had to qualify with rifle (M-16) and revolver (.38) once. Would have love to do more often