LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- Team Little Rock Airmen are invited to testing their rifleman skills Jan. 28-30 during the Elementary Level Rifle Excellence in Competition, here.
The competition is open to all military personnel who are current on their M-4 rifle qualification and is hosted by the 19th Security Forces Squadron combat arms section.
“This is a great way to practice the rifle fundamentals taught here,” said Staff Sgt. Jared Thomas, 19th SFS combat arms instructor. “Events like this build that muscle memory.”
Competitors will be provided a rifle, ammunition, and target. No personal equipment will be permitted.
“Even though this is a fun event, our top priority is safety,” said Thomas. “Use your fundamentals. The more repetitions the better.”
Once on the range, competitors will have a chance to calibrate their rifle’s sights. Following this, the competition begins with an addition 50 rounds, 10 rounds for each position of standing, kneeling, sitting, and 20 rounds for the prone position.
There are a max of 500 points and the top 10 percent of the competitors will be awarded the U.S. Air Force Excellence in Competition Rifleman Badge. The final scores and ranking will be announced a week after the competition.
“This is a great opportunity for all Airmen with all ranges of experience,” said Tech. Sgt. Allen Horton, 19th SFS combat arms noncommissioned officer in charge. “Since the rifles use only iron sites and the instructors are only there for safety and facilitating the event, those who fall back to marksmanship fundamentals will stand out.”
The combat arm instructors plan to host the M-9 pistol Excellence in Competition later this year.
There are nearly 300 competition spots available and those wishing to participate need to email combat arms at UDG_19SFS_CombatArms@us.af.mil by Jan. 18.