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

Always been so. Remember that until 1947, there was no separate Air Force, just the Army Air Corps!

Hey I was in the Coast Guard and we did annual weapons qualifications every year of the 33 years I served.

Guess the AF just depends on someone else protecting them.

Common sense says train them, the cost is minimal.

When Mr. Victor Charles came to visit places like Tan Son Nhut and Bien Hoa among others in scenic South Viet-nam, , it would have seemed to have been a good idea for Airmen to have some small arms training. The final banzai attack on Iwo Jima decimated the Army Air Forces troops, unarmed, in their tents, hacked to pieces. So, there are lessons we learn in wars, the hard, very hard, way which we then feel free to forget next time around. My old man, a maintenance Sgt in England during WW 2 routinely re-qualified with the M-1 Carbine and 1911A-1 pistol he also mounted guard routinely. In addition he had a working knowledge of the Quad .50 BMG just in case. So, maybe spending a few days familiarizing yourself then re qualifying at least every year is called "being Prepared", just in case.

The cringe factor of this photo.

Very interesting I never knew that. So if your not SF in the Air Force you are just like a civilian relying on the police to protect you. Even our mechanics had a 50 on their track, and their small arms, and used them to effect when they had too. The Air Force trusts their troops to handle bombs and missiles, work on jet engines. Why not also teach them to protect themselves?

I being a former combat vet agree on having all military branches learn and be taught tactical weaponry… Even with the drawdowns and cutbacks throughout the military…. The word military says it all, everyone needs to be taught on a weapon first before sitting at a desk for 8-10 hours a day… What happens when the lone gunmen comes in and no one knows what to do or you are in the back 40 on the battlefield…
I’ve seen what passing people up on the battlefield because higher ups say they are no threat anymore can do… It just isn’t smart to not be trained on our weapons and it wouldn’t hurt to be trained on a vast majority of other weapons once or twice a year to get everyone out of offices as they will be glad to get out and see other people again from other places… Just my thoughts and thank you and God bless on this Memorial Day to our past and present troops….

To be fair; weapons training in the Army is kind of a joke too. Trigger discipline and weapons safety is on point. But most Army personnel know very little about the M16/M4. As an E4, I found my superiors dismissive towards me when I explain to them how a BFA works or what causes rifles to malfunction. Often times, they simply said the M16 is "always unreliable." It still frustrates me to think that professional Army NCO's know nothing about their own rifles.

If your at a FOB your armed, you’d better know how to safely use it if necessary. It’s part of being in the military regardless of your branch or primary MOS, if your in imminent danger you need to be able to protect your position and use your weapon properly. I’m an old dude, but if there’s an attack would I assume that everyone has a designated place to be? Can’t sit in your hooch teeth chattering. My sons AF attached to Army and he’s as well trained at the guys in the 10th, he deployed fully armed.

In the Air Force I was fully trained on the M16 rifle. I think I know the reason for your statement that the Air Force is not fully trained in its use. The truth is when I was deployed for Desert Shield/Storm with an M16 I was not allowed to test fire it before being deployed, nor was I allowed to sight it in. What I found out to my horror is that particular weapon was missing parts, thus leaving me in the position of having nothing more than a fragile, lightweight club. When my congressman (former Air Force pilot) visited the AOR, I made it a point to show him the weapon. Long story short, my chain of command from immediate supervisor all the way to Wing Commander were replaced before I was allowed to return to home station.

The point I'm trying to make is Air Force doesn't train all members in the use of weapons because the Air Force doesn't have, or didn't have, enough operational weapons to go around.

SSgt I have to agree with you. I grew up handling weapons and can't think of a single reason why I would not want to be capable of defending anywhere in the military