CATM milestone builds DAF weapons proficiency Published Feb. 13, 2025 By Debbie Aragon AFIMSC Public Affairs Staff Sgt. Shaquille Robinson, a student from the 49th Security Forces Squadron at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, cleans an M18 during the new Combat Arms and Maintenance Leaders course Jan. 27, 2025, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Luke Allen) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- The Air Force Combat Arms Training and Maintenance career field achieved a significant milestone Feb. 4 with the graduation of the first CATM instructor course. The course builds on combat arms training at every installation by having a more robust training cadre to ultimately enhance Airman and Guardian weapons proficiency across the Department of the Air Force. The 21-day course, conducted by the 343rd Training Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, is expected to graduate more than 500 CATM instructors annually. “It’s imperative we have a full team of CATM professionals at every installation across the enterprise to provide first-class weapons training to our warfighters,” said Jason Seibel, Combat Arms Program chief at the Air Force Security Forces Center. “The graduation of this first class sets us firmly on the right path to that.” Chief Master Sgt. Donnie Gallagher, Air Force Security Forces career field manager, addresses students during the first Combat Arms and Maintenance Leaders Course graduation Feb. 4, 2025, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Luke Allen) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res AFSFC, headquartered in San Antonio, trains, equips and manages program execution for Air Force Security Forces around the globe. This includes providing training and maintenance of small arms and light weapons CATM instructors will be instrumental in preparing Airmen to support combat operations, said Chief Master Sgt. Donnie Gallagher, Air Force Security Forces career field manager. “In the Air Force’s new dynamic operational environment and its smaller footprint forward ... all Airmen will be responsible for providing an armed response to any enemy aggression,” he said. “That means every Airman, regardless of Air Force Specialty Code, is going to be expected to understand and utilize the ‘operating end’ of an M4 or M18 while supporting combat and combat support operations.” During the course, Airmen learn the core tasks of the M4 Carbine and M18 handgun, as well as the use of the new firearms simulator technology. The simulator saves time and money by allowing multiple rounds of firing in a virtual setting without expending ammunition. Master Sgt. Prentiss Carver, a member of the 131st Mission Support Group at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, runs through a firearms simulator during the Combat Arms and Maintenance Leaders Course Jan. 27, 2025, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Luke Allen) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res “We’ve also included a combat mindset block to give student instructors the necessary tools to put the ‘why’ into their lessons,” Seibel said. “By incorporating relevant combat vignettes from fellow Defenders, these instructors are set on the right path to be trainers for all warfighters.” The graduates of the first three-level course now move on to the newly designed five-level course, launching this summer, that builds on their skills. After the late 1990s merger of law enforcement and security specialists, disciplines like military working dog handling and combat arms ceased to be individual specialties. However, in June 2023, the Combat Arms Working Group, comprising over 50 representatives from AFSFC, Headquarters Air Force Security Forces and major command CATM professions, began rebuilding the CATM career field for the first time since the 1997 merger. At left, Combat Arms and Maintenance Leaders Course Instructor Staff Sgt. Cory Drawdy watches as Senior Airman Eddie Daigs, a student from the 354th Security Forces Squadron at Eielson AFB, Alaska, looks through reference material during class Jan. 27, 2025, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Luke Allen) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Their work crystalized during a meeting in early 2024 when they set about establishing a course of action to create the first CATM Air Force job qualification standard, leading to the establishment of three- and five-level courses. Seibel said the three-level course lays the foundational groundwork for what CATM instructors will do for the rest of their careers. “If the Air Force is going to truly embrace the meaning of ‘a profession of arms,’ it starts with small arms that every Airman and Guardian can employ and maintain,” Gallagher said. “With a lot more Airmen, not just Defenders, out there using and working with an M4 and M18, we know we’ve got to be prepared for it.” “The graduation of the first Combat Arms Supervisor Course represents crossing the finish line after over two years of work to develop a streamlined continuum of learning for our CATM professionals and goes a long way in getting skilled CATM teams at every installation,” Seibel added.