{"id":45767,"date":"2019-07-11T19:37:38","date_gmt":"2019-07-11T19:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/07\/11\/m4-carbine-training-and-qualification-comes-to-air-force-basic-training\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:46:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:46:48","slug":"m4-carbine-training-and-qualification-comes-to-air-force-basic-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2019\/07\/11\/m4-carbine-training-and-qualification-comes-to-air-force-basic-training\/","title":{"rendered":"M4 carbine training and qualification comes to Air Force basic training"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Air Force on Monday opened up a newly renovated combat arms range at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland<\/a> in Texas, and is now allowing basic trainees<\/a> to train on the M4 carbine for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until now, trainees at Basic Military Training<\/a> only got limited experience firing the M16A2 rifle under the weapons familiarization course, and their weapons qualification came later, after graduating from BMT. But repairs and expansions to the range \u2014 which closed last November due to rainwater drainage problems \u2014 will now allow combat weapons instructors to train 244 trainees each day, four days a week. The instructors could qualify more than 40,000 trainees on the M4 each year, almost 10,000 more than the service is now recruiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By providing trainees both firearm training and qualification, instead of just the familiarization course, they can now earn their small-arms expert marksmanship ribbon at BMT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we restore readiness in BMT, we will teach weapons proficiency early on,\u201d Chief Master Sgt. Lee Hoover, superintendent of the 737th Training Group, said in a Wednesday release. \u201cWe will expose trainees to the M4 so they can become familiar with the weapon and learn its nomenclature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t