Air Force Global Strike Command on Monday resumed using its Sig Sauer M18 pistols after a command-wide inspection of the firearms, with additional inspection processes.
Global Strike temporarily halted the use of the M18 and ordered their inspection after an airman, Brayden Lovan, was fatally shot with one of the pistols on July 20 at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. Another airman was arrested earlier this month in connection with the death and charged with making a false official statement, obstruction of justice and involuntary manslaughter.
The command announced in a Sunday statement that the weapons were deemed safe and reliable, and planned for the resumption of their use by security forces airmen.
“It is paramount that our airmen trust their weapon systems,” Global Strike commander Gen. Thomas Bussiere said in the statement. “This thorough inspection ensures the M18s in our inventory are in optimal working order, providing our defenders with safe, reliable and effective systems to accomplish their mission.”
During the inspection of Global Strike’s entire inventory of 7,970 M18 pistols, 191 were found to have discrepancies such as component wear, often on their safety levers, striker assemblies or sears. Those weapons are now being repaired.
Global Strike also studied data on the weapons and their use, and found no discharges that could be attributed to malfunctions of the M18.
The command has also put stronger inspection procedures in place for the M18, including additional criteria for the areas of the pistol where potential problems were found.
“By incorporating these added measures, we assess that any issues found with the safety lever, striker assembly and sear will be identified during semi-annual and annual inspections,” Lt. Col. George Hern, Global Strike’s chief of security forces, said in the statement. “As we execute M18 inspections in the future, we will be taking a particular interest in these components to ensure these methods address the issues we found and make adjustments as needed.”
Security forces squadron commanders, senior enlisted leaders and combat arms training and maintenance personnel are also planning to meet with airmen to discuss the findings on the M18 and explain the additional inspection procedures.
The leaders will also emphasize the importance of muzzle discipline and review reporting procedures for weapons that may have problems, the command said.
The M18 is a derivative of Sig Sauer’s P320, also used in the Army. Some have alleged the P320 pistol is prone to accidental firings without the trigger being pulled, though Sig Sauer strongly denies those allegations.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
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