MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Readiness starts with preparation, and for Airmen across Moody Air Force Base, that preparation includes knowing how to safely and effectively operate a weapon.
Combat Arms Training and Maintenance (CATM) instructors train Airmen on weapons safety, handling, maintenance and qualification, providing the skills needed to operate weapon systems in a deployed environment.
“It's important that everyone qualifies because, heaven forbid, if they need to utilize a weapon that they're getting qualified on, then at least they're going to know what they're doing,” said Staff Sgt. Kenneth Steele, 23d Security Forces CATM instructor.
CATM instructors train Airmen in the classroom before bringing them to the range for hands-on instruction. There, instructors oversee weapons qualification, enforce safety procedures and provide coaching to Airmen in an effort to improve proficiency with handling firearms.
For some Airmen, the range may be one of their few opportunities to handle a weapon. Instructors use repetition to build confidence and muscle memory. That repetition is designed to help Airmen react under stress rather than rely solely on memory when faced with an unfamiliar situation.
“We always like to practice everything,” Steele said. “If I go over something as simple as a rapid reload, we'll go over it at least five times.”
CATM's role extends beyond the firing line. Instructors also manage weapons, ammunition, perform authorized weapons maintenance and coordinate training with units across the installation. Their larger purpose is supporting the Air Force's ability to generate a ready fighting force.
The need for that preparation extends beyond Airmen whose primary duties involve security or law enforcement. In a deployed environment, personnel from a variety of career fields may be required to carry a weapon and respond to a threat.
Staff Sgt. Jesse Shafer, 23d Security Forces CATM instructor, experienced this firsthand during a deployment, where Airmen from across the installation were armed during periods of heightened security.
“Everybody was carrying a gun,” Shafer said. “There were a couple times where our base went into lockdown because the threat was there and every career field was armed.”
Those experiences reinforce the importance of weapons proficiency across the force. While Airmen may not expect to encounter a situation requiring them to use their weapon, CATM instructors emphasize that readiness means preparing for circumstances before they happen.
“It's not when, it's if,” Shafer said. “A lot of people's mentality is, ‘Well, this will never happen.’”
Through classroom instruction, hands-on training and weapons qualification, CATM helps Airmen develop the knowledge and confidence needed to respond when called upon. It is another layer of preparation that helps ensure the force is ready to protect its people, resources and mission whenever and wherever they are needed.