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

Well I talked to a Vietnam vet about when the m16 was first issued and he first saw it. It was on an airman on guard in Vietnam. He asked about it and asked to see the ammunition. He was told I wasn’t issued any... the point is maybe they need to re-evaluate parts of the training.

I was assigned to a Forward Air Traffic Post. We qualified every six months to be able to deploy to a location closer to the front lines. I also was trained on the use of M-60, Granade launcher and setting up Claymore mine. I deployed to Desert Shield/Storm the first thing that happened was to turn in our rifles for storage. It was determined that we would no see Combat up close. I was ready but grateful I was not up front. Our mission is getting aircraft in the air. I always took my mission seriously including training. Others not so much. Be careful what you wish for. Thank you for your input!

do you go on ground to

This must be new. When I was in we all went to qualify on the M16 during basic. After that you hit the range once every couple years at your base to stay "worldwide deployable." It was no different than keeping your shots up to date. I was maintenance, and then Comm, but still had to stay qualified. This is new to me.

The AFSCs that require the regular use of a weapon are qualified. I guess it is kind of like asking why an Air Force dentist isn't qualified to fly an F-16. This isn't like JAG where an F-14 pilot is also a SEAL trained lawyer.

how dose that happen I have never seen that the magazine in backwards doesn't it only fit in the receiver one way rounds up. in my day it was the M-16-A1 but I did my time as a rifleman in the ARMY infantry as A M-60 gunner with a M-1911 .45 sidearm it is my understanding that every branch goes to basic training before they go to MOS. training

I went into the AF in 1970 and was taken to the range to learn how to shoot the m16. While in Germany , CE Prime Beef was also taken to the range, some prime beef members were tagged during alerts for security police extra support. That was between 72-74.

When Airmen are handed a combat mission, they receive the necessary combat training and go perform the mission well. Air Force 2T1s (Vehicle Operators) were tasked to augment the Army 88M soldiers who had been heavily tasked in convoy operations in Iraq. They were trained, equipped and deployed to perform the mission - and performed extremely well. While the nature of the convoy missions demanded a more defensive posture, any Airman working outside the wire needed to be prepared for anything. Security Forces were tasked with perimeter defense - generally in close proximity to wherever the AF base is; or personal defense - generally wherever a senior officer needs to go. On the other hand, convoy operations moved people and equipment between bases, posts or other locations sometimes hundreds of miles apart through hostile territory. Not better, not worse, just different. My advice? Train everyone to a high level of proficiency.

It is interesting to hear all the talk about how the SF is the infantry and that everyone else doesn't need to be armed or trained. Having been a 46370 and 55272 I can tell you that there are other people in the AF that do get trained with weapons. If anything, there should be more training. The problem of prescribing more training is that you run up against budgetary issues. Very few people in the AF have had the experience to use their weapons effectively. Also very few have been trained on individual movement and squad tactics.

The big element for leadership is the balance of doing the job you have been trained for and then attempting to find the time and budget to train for the basics of combat. At some point this lack of training will come back to bite us.

The Air Force largely operates from fixed facilities with concrete runways, hangars, control towers, precision landing systems, POL storage, motor pools, clean rooms for repairing sensitive systems, some of the best fire fighting equipment in the world, meteorological systems and air/ground operation areas. Not to forget the tremendous number of supplies and spare parts we keep on hand. We are largely technicians, not combat troops except for flight crews and our outstanding security personnel. If many of us have a "beef" with our Air Force - it's our constant attempt to move away from Ground Support for our Army and Marine Corps, a case in point? The A-10 Warthog!