This exercise is performed numerous times a day at various locations around the world. However, no matter where it occurs, all must have one thing in common: muzzle awareness. Safe weapons-handling skills are essential for our CONUS and forward-deployed Soldiers. It protects the Soldiers and preserves the commander's combat power, allowing them to project more force during critical operations.
The challenge for Leaders is educating and training Soldiers about safe weapons handling - especially muzzle awareness - and then sustaining and enforcing those skills. Using drills, Leaders at the team and squad level can demonstrate and perform the techniques essential for safe muzzle awareness. By adhering to the "laser rule" Soldiers can also monitor their own and their battle buddy's muzzle discipline.
Leaders should use the crawl-walk-run method when performing weapons drills and live-fire exercises. The goal is to ensure that Soldiers and their supervisors understand and can perform the drills and tasks not only tactically, but safely. Tactical safety equals preserving combat power and helping maintain the commander's most important weapon - the individual Soldier. The Army's doctrine of "Full Spectrum" operations means that we, as Leaders, must adopt "Full Spectrum Safety," incorporating this philosophy into all training and mission planning.
By performing composite risk management (CRM) procedures and identifying hazards facing our Soldiers when handling weapons, we can reinforce the importance of maintaining muzzle awareness. Using the METT-TC (mission, enemy, terrain and weather, troops and support available, time available, civil considerations) model, Leaders can identify key points in training and combat operations where problems could arise. As such, they can then plan for contingencies and train effectively to prevent poor practices. By using a systematic approach to identifying hazards, emplacing controls and supervising this process, Leaders can help their Soldiers avoid becoming complacent when handling weapons.
Leaders must set the example and insist that standards are maintained in training and during combat operations. Leaders at all levels, from first-line Leaders to senior enlisted and officers, must demonstrate their competency to lend credence to the muzzle awareness program. By insisting that the standards are applied to all in the chain of command, Leaders demonstrate that awareness is a basic Soldier skill and no exception to this standard is acceptable. Soldiers are very cognizant of any double standard and will not buy into any policy, standard or program that does not apply to everyone in the unit and chain of command.
As Leaders, we should not accept anything but 100 percent when it comes to muzzle awareness and safe weapons handling. Reinforcing effective muzzle awareness skills will reduce injuries and deaths among Soldiers and preserve our combat power. Our Soldiers deserve no less.
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