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

In Nam, many AF troops were killed with fully loaded m16s in thier hand. Not knowing how to use them,,,,,

SSgt Garrett Christ Did you happen to notice that Air Force Bases are usually located to the rear of most battle areas? I was active duty USAF for 21 years and served 3 tours in Vietnam. The first weapon I qualified on was the M1 carbine followed by the M16,M60,50 cal,M79 and the 38 cal revolver. I was by AFSC a special purpose vehicle mechanic but I was also an Air Base Ground Defense augmentee. Now getting back to my lead statement our job as USAF is to fly and fight we do this by ensuring our fighters,bombers,cargo birds are ready and able to provide airborne destruction of enemy facilities, CAS for our fellow Army,Marines and SOF. Research what we did during the battle at Khe Sahn one of our C130 came back to base so shot up by the VC you could literally step through the battle damage but the men on the ground needed their supplies (food and Ammunition). I was at Tuy Hoa AB RVN doing my part by making sure crash/fire trucks were ready if a hot bird came back and the crew needed fire protection. My last active duty assignment in a mobile TACS Wing/Unit. Since we were self contained and ground or air deployable we received the training and range time necessary to accomplish our mission because we did not always set up on a fixed base. My active duty years were 1965-1986. BTW my son and his wife were USAF SF one was LE and the other SF. I have no idea what you were expecting when you joined the USAF but our job has always been FLY and FIGHT not go outside the wire and engage the enemy. Have you ever thought about cross training into one of the AFSC(s) for para rescue or maybe become a member of a CCT (Combat Control Team)? You can always join the Army,Marines or try for the SEALS at the end of your current enlistment.

When I joined the Air Force in 1979 they still had weapons training in basic for just two days, dry fire day and wet fire on the M-16. I didn't have to qualify again until I went on overseas duty. But I did qualify expert each time. and I'm still a great shot to this day.

Maybe my experience was different because I was assigned to a Special Ops base but, every single person on the base, regardless of job title, had to be M16 qualified. This included complete field strip, cleaning and reassembly and to qualify for expert, we were given 29 rounds and had to score a minimum of 250 out of a possible 290 @ 1000 yards from various positions including, prone, kneeling, over barricade, strong side barricade and standing.
The only year I didn't qualify for expert was, the year they used 22LR conversions to save money I suppose. Those things were junk and would jam every other round. Also, due to the limitations of the 22LR cartridge, we had miniature silhouette targets (about 7 or 8 inches tall if I remember correctly and only about 3 inches wide) placed 100 yards away.

Anyone can point a gun and shoot. Whether or not ehy are accurate is another thing. And, it's the Air Force. We hardly ever go into positions that would require the use of a gun.

I had to volunteer to be an SP augmente before I was allowed to qualify. Even being on 'mobility' there wasn't enough priority on weapons training. Probably a good thing for most of my fellow Airmen, as most of them weren't that safe to begin with. Things changed with the first Gulf War. Nearly the entire base SP Force deployed suddenly. Most of us guarding the base were now augmentes. Sort of drove home the need for the training. They were so short of weapon qualified Airmen they were grasping at straws. If I hadn't already been grabbed for augmente duty, I would have been deployed. Took a lot of flack on that, being prepared, but already utilized, no good deed goes unpunished.
I just wanted to be prepared if needed, then I was. Not my fault there weren't enough of us.
Most of the Air Force probably shouldn't be armed on a regular basis, but those that can be should be encouraged to get/stay qualified, at the least.

After my Navy days, 67-71, I joined the Air National guard 79-2008. I was Civil Engineering heavy equipment operator. We had to qualify yearly with small arms, m-16 and 38cal/9 mm for cargo couriers. We backed up the SF’s for aircraft security during alerts.
We were responsible for Base Recovery After Attack( BRAAT) runway repair etc. with no Army or Marine detachments for protection. That all changed after Desert Storm of course, with joint force structure.
Engineers still had to stay current with small arms.

Two things, first as a member of the 10th Mtn Division Staff, during field exercises and deployments our Division Band was also our Division Security Force. So you had to trust that guy who played a trombone in a band to also be proficient in weapons qualification. Second, we used to have a specific time set aside during the week (usually Thursday AM - till noon) this was called Sergeants Time. NCO Leadership at platoon or company (section/flight) level identified areas that needed more training and improvement. We used this time to hone skills such as being proficient with our weapons. Perhaps you could recommend this to your leadership.

I was USAF, 1970-1974. Qualified on the M16 in Basic. About two years in, I was put on the "Tanker Mobility" list,and had to qualify on the .38 revolver. Aside from qualifying on each of these weapons at the range, I never touched them again. I was raised with guns, so I was quite comfortable around them. Some of the other members of my flight in Basic and people I worked with the rest of my time AD.... Mmmm.. I wasn't so sure about.

My son was USAF Security Forces. Spent nearly a year at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. At one point, I said that he was Air Force, just like me. Later, he quietly corrected me by saying, "Dad, we in Security Forces don't really consider ourselves to be in the regular Air Force." As soon as he said it, I understood what he meant.

When he got back from Bagram, he told me about a training session they had. The question was asked, "You're in the chow hall. A 'bad guy' comes in and starts shooting. What do you do?" The correct answer was hit the floor!

When asked why, my son answered, "Because the room is filled with Airmen carrying loaded M16s that they haven't fired since they qualified. There will probably be more casualties from friendly fire than from the bad guy."

Do I think USAF members should receive more and regular firearms training? In principle, yes. In practice, that's a whooole bunch of people to train and cycle through a firing range on a regular basis. I think annual qualification would be minimum, six months would be better.

As a Marine (never a former or ex-Marine) I later chose a career in the AF. I was a Jet Engine Technician by MOS/AFSC and as I moved up the career ladder we always qualified at an indoor range once a year with the modified M-16 that shot .22 to save money. If you only handle a weapon once a year you're not going to be very proficient at it. I will say that everyone shot until they passed. They are not taught to quickly field strip a weapon as we were in the Marines but they must disassemble the weapon, clean it to the satisfaction of the Range Instructors and reassemble it, then put it away. Can they shoot? Yes. Can they shoot like a Marine? Hardly, but they can hit center mass and many have their own ARs at home so I think they'd do well enough in an emergency situation.
Retired First Sergeant