Seeking ‘warfighter mindset,’ Air Force basic trainees now carrying rifles through boot camp
Potential airmen and guardians will be issued the non-functioning rifles after a weapon familiarization course and carry them through the end of basic training.
Patty Nieberg
Posted on Aug 13, 2024 5:26 PM EDT
U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training trainees carry weapons at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland on August 2, 2024. Beginning on July 29, 2024, Col. Billy Wilson Jr., 737th Training Group commander, launched a weapons handling initiative. From now on, BMT trainees will carry weapons throughout their 7.5 weeks of training to instill a profession of arms and a warrior mindset into the future Airmen. JBSA-Lackland is home to USAF BMT where enlisted civilians are transformed into capable Airmen. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ava Leone)
Air Force and Space Force recruits are now carrying rifles throughout boot camp. Air Force photo by Ava Leone. Ava Leone
In a move meant to boost fighting spirit in new Air Force and Space Force recruits, basic trainees are now issued M-4 rifles early in boot camp which they carry and maintain throughout the course at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Carrying a weapon through boot camp is a long-standing practice in the Army and Marine Corps, but has been an on-again, off-again policy at the Air Force’s Basic Military Training course, or BMT, which inducts its enlisted members into military life.
The new Trainer Weapon Program, which issues trainees inert M-4s, was reinstituted on July 29 by 737th Training Group Commander, Col. Billy Wilson Jr. Potential airmen and guardians will now be issued the rifles after a weapon familiarization course and carry it for seven-and-a-half weeks of basic training.
“Incorporating practice weapons into realistic scenarios in a controlled environment builds confidence, corrects errors, and manages stress by providing regular practice that reduces hesitation and increases combat effectiveness,” Wilson said in an Air Force release.
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-recruits-rifles/
