Every Airman A Rifleman: New firearm qualification course prepares reservists for urban combat

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shawn Rhodes
  • 927th Air Refueling Wing
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The last time he fired a rifle was in basic training. So, when Senior Airman Robert Dougherty felt the recoil of the unfamiliar M-4 carbine rifle and the acrid smoke of gunpowder filled his nostrils, his thoughts turned to making it home so he could teach his three children how to ride their bikes.

Thanks to the new Air Force Rifle/Carbine Qualification Course, the aerospace ground equipment technician's chances of surviving a firefight just went up. In a newly-enacted policy that stunned its sister services, the Air Force had the idea that every Airman should be a rifleman.

Not only that, but all Airmen required to qualify with a weapon - even reservists - will be required to complete the most in-depth basic firearms training course in the entire U.S. military.

"The Air Force introduced this new training in Aug. 2011," said Tech. Sgt. Jason Knepper, 927th Security Forces Squadron combat arms non-commissioned officer in charge. Knepper's job is to give reservists like Dougherty the skills they need to survive combat during a deployment. It's a job he takes seriously. "Across the board, this new course is a huge leap forward for combat operations which is why we were the first unit in the Air Force Reserve Command to implement it."

The new course represents a complete overhaul of the previous M-16 Air Force Qualification Course, which focused on long-range accuracy and suffered a 25 percent failure rate among students here. The old course was in use in one form or another since 1962 when the M-16 was introduced into the United States military's arsenal.

"The majority of combat we see overseas is urban and closer than 300 meters, so we have to train for that," said Knepper. "This new course is 11 hours long and we've doubled the amount of rounds we use for each student. Surprisingly, we only have about a 3 percent failure rate."

Knepper attributes the increased success rate of the new course to the focus the students are required to have - it's a lot different than laying prone and taking shots at a single target. The new course engages reservists' muscle memory with searches for multiple targets and requires them to recognize when a target is a threat. Modern urban combat shows that civilians are side-by-side with combatants and Airmen need to know how to tell the difference and still quickly eliminate the enemy.

"You will fight like you train," said Tech. Sgt. Christopher Cratty, lead instructor for the 927th Combat Arms section. "Some Airmen used to come in every two or three years to qualify with their weapon, but with this new course they qualify before every deployment."

The new course of fire focuses on communication while firing, movement, multiple target engagement, tactical use of cover and even includes transition drills to train Airmen to easily switch from firing with the rifle to the M-9 pistol holstered on their thighs.

"When military members are put in harms' way, this course drastically improves their ability to defend themselves," Knepper said.

Dougherty's family is thankful for that.