By Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Rognstad
1st Space Brigade Public Affairs Office
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Soldiers with 4th and 18th Space companies, 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, qualify on the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon Dec. 6, 2021, at Fort Carson. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Rognstad)
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Soldiers of 1st Space Brigade’s 1st Space Battalion, 4th and 18th Space companies qualified on the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) – the standard light machine gun of the Army Dec. 6, 2021, on Fort Carson. It’s a fair assessment to say most Soldiers in Army Space units aren’t all that familiar with the SAW, and the ones who are came from previous units that utilized them.
“It’s a weapon used in infantry units more so than anything else,” said Staff Sgt. Arend Aldrich, 4th Space Company, Detachment 5, noncommissioned officer in charge. “But we train on it because at the end of the day, we are all Soldiers and need to be trained up on a weapon like the M249.”
Aldrich comes from an artillery background in the Army. He recently reclassified into Space Force and brings a wealth of experience to his unit when it comes to crew-served weapons. He said he hopes his Soldiers will build confidence in using the SAW.
“Understanding how the weapon works and building that knowledge base is why we are here today,” Aldrich said. “Once they familiarize themselves with it, it’s just like any other weapon in the Army.”
The wind began to pick up as the sun rose higher. The forecast called for highs in the 40s, but it was considerably colder. The Soldiers zeroed their weapons before qualifying.
Pfc. Brandon Flores, a signals collector analyst of 18th Space Company, came off the firing line looking a little cold, but optimistic surrounding his shooting performance.
“I think it went alright,” he said. “I never get to shoot this, so it’s always good to get out and do something new in the Army. It’s good to know how just in case you ever might have to use it.”
The M249 provides squads of Soldiers a high rate of fire with the accuracy and portability of a rifle. Qualifying on the SAW is not a mandatory Army requirement in non-infantry units.
“I’m not worried about every Soldier out here qualifying,” said Capt. Kyle Berry, 4th Space Company, Det. 5, commander. “The benefits of doing this today are getting new Soldiers, who literally haven’t touched one of these weapons confident on a new weapons system, because at the end of the day, we’re all still Soldiers.”