Air Force Rethinks Having Trainees Carry Real Rifles in Boot Camp
April 28, 2025 | By Matthew Cox
Young Air Force and Space Force recruits in Basic Military Training will not be trading in their non-firing M4 carbines for live M4s anytime soon. After leaders previously said they wanted to make the switch, Maj. Gen. Wolfe Davidson said it may not be necessary for Airmen to carry real M4s throughout BMT.
“Right now, we don’t see much benefit to [issuing] live weapons” to recruits to carry through BMT, Davidson, commander of the Second Air Force told Air & Space Forces Magazine. Davidson, who oversees BMT and technical training, is a career special tactics officer who has led air, space and special operations forces during various operations including Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
“We will continue to evaluate, but in the near term we are not going to transition to real M4s … for the entirety of basic training,” said Davidson. Last summer, the Air Force began issuing inert M4s, marked by red flash suppressors, to future Airmen and Guardians to carry throughout the majority of boot camp. The carbines have all the parts of a real M4, except for a hammer so they cannot be fired.
“The replicas they have can be fully broken down; fully assembled … just like a standard M4, so they are learning all those aspects of it,” said Davidson, adding that trainees “certainly use real M4s in portions of their training.”
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-rethinks-real-rifles-boot-camp/
