Photo By Senior Airman Darius Frazier | A U.S. Air Force Combat Arms Training and Maintenance instructor aims down the sights...... read more read more
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Behind every round fired on the range at Joint Base Andrews is a Combat Arms Training and Maintenance (CATM) instructor, dedicated to sharpening the skills that transform Airmen into a lethal, confident force.
For Airmen like Staff Sgt. Alec Meehan, 316th Security Support Squadron CATM instructor supervisor, the path into the Red Hat career field wasn’t one he expected when he first joined the Air Force.
“I never shot a weapon before I enlisted,” Meehan said. “When I went to BMT and fired for the first time, I fell in love with it. Then at tech school I got to shoot the M9, heavy machine guns, the M4, and realized I was a pretty good shot. That’s what drew me into CATM.”
Meehan oversees training schedules. On Mondays and Tuesdays, Airmen rotate through M4 rifle classes, Wednesdays are dedicated to security forces members, Thursdays focus on the M18 pistol, and Fridays are reserved for Office of Special Investigations and specialized courses. Each class begins in the classroom at 0800, where students learn fundamentals before progressing to live fire on the range.
“We make sure everyone who needs to qualify is scheduled. Whether they’re deploying, PCSing, or on temporary duty, it doesn’t matter,” Meehan said. “It’s all-day training. We’ll spend hours in the classroom making sure students know how to clear, handle, and break down their weapon safely before we ever step foot on the range.”
The approach is deliberate. Instructors break down concepts for all types of learners. There are those who need to see, those who need to do, and those who need repetition.
Regardless, the goal is the same every time. To ensure every Airman is 100 percent ready before the first live round is fired.
Staff Sgt. Quentin Smith, a CATM instructor with the 316th Security Forces Squadron, echoes that mindset.
“The first thing we go over every morning is safety,” Smith said. “Repetition, repetition, repetition. Once students are comfortable, we move into how the weapon works, how to maintain it, and finally how to employ it.”
Instructors start with the basics which includes weapon nomenclature, field stripping, and maintenance.
Students learn not only how to fire but how to trust their weapon to function when it matters most. “We want Airmen to know their weapon inside and out,” Smith said. “It’s not just about shooting, it’s about understanding the system and keeping it combat-ready.”
From there, classes progress to hands-on practice with reloading drills, malfunction clearing, and sight alignment before stepping onto the range. Students start with practice rounds to get familiar with recoil and firing sequences before moving into qualification.
Each shot is graded and recorded on an Air Force Form 522, documenting their certification for deployments, permanent changes of station, or other operational needs.
Smith admits he wasn’t always a natural shooter.
“I was really bad at shooting when I started,” Smith said, laughing. “If qualifying had been part of becoming an instructor, I probably would’ve failed out. But one of the best pistol instructors I know helped me work through it. That makes me a better teacher now, because I know what errors students are making and how to fix them.”
That shared experience is vital when students step onto the range for their first qualification or advanced training, like limited visibility firing.
“Half of a 24-hour day is in the dark,” Smith said. “With our indoor range, we can cut the lights and safely run those scenarios. Whether it’s using night sights on the M18 or lasers on the M4, it’s all about making sure Airmen can fight effectively, even when conditions aren’t ideal.”
Meehan added that CATM instructors work with different weapon systems depending on the unit’s mission requirements. “We teach the M4 and M4A1 rifles, the M18 handgun, Glock 19s for OSI, and the APC 9,” he said. “We also cover the M870 shotgun, and when it comes to heavier weapon systems like the M249 or M240 machine guns, or the M110 sniper rifle, we train with our Marine partners down at Quantico. It’s a full spectrum of small arms that Airmen may be called on to use.”
For both instructors, wearing the Red Hat is just as much a symbol of responsibility as it is a uniform item.
“To me, it’s a blessing,” Meehan said. “A lot of Airmen in career fields like medical or finance don’t handle weapons every day. When they come through our class, I get to watch that light bulb moment when it clicks – when they realize they can do it, and they can protect themselves and their wingmen if they ever have to.”
Smith agreed. “I don’t care if you leave my class with an expert badge or just a passing score,” he said. “What I care about is that you leave confident. Because if that day ever comes, I want you to know you can put rounds downrange and defend what matters.”
From the safety brief they give in the morning to the final scored target in the afternoon, CATM instructors are at the foundation of readiness. Their job goes beyond just teaching weapons fundamentals. They build the confidence, competence, and combat credibility of the Air Force.
“CATM is here to make Airmen lethal,” Meehan said. “But more importantly, we make sure they go into every situation knowing they’re prepared. That’s what wearing the Red Hat means.”
| Date Taken: | 08.22.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.26.2025 14:01 |
| Story ID: | 548686 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 99 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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