The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) has suspended the use of all Sig Sauer-manufactured M18 pistols following the death of a Security Forces airman at F.E. Warren Air Force Base over the weekend.
Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere, head of Global Strike Command, announced in a July 21 memo that the command would temporarily suspend use of the M18 handgun for both training and operations, pending the outcome of the investigation into the recent incident. The memo also directed all AFGSC installations to conduct thorough inspections of their issued M18 pistols.
AFGSC spokesperson Charles “Moose” Hoffman confirmed the suspension.
“Out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety and security of our personnel, the pause will remain in place pending the completion of comprehensive investigations by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the AFGSC Safety office,” Hoffman told Task & Purpose.
“Security Forces Airmen will be equipped with M4 rifles during this period,” Hoffman added.
The active-duty airman with the 90th Security Forces Squadron died on duty at the base early Sunday morning, according to a press release from the installation. The service member’s identity and the circumstances surrounding the death have not been released.
The Air Force has not confirmed whether the death involved an accidental discharge of the M18, noting only that “the discharge has not been categorized yet.”
The M18 is the compact variant of the Modular Handgun System selected by the Army in 2017 to replace the Beretta M9. It has since been adopted across U.S. military branches.
The pause comes amid renewed scrutiny of the M18 and its civilian counterpart, the P320, amid allegations of unintentional discharges. A recently released FBI report detailed a 2024 incident in which a Michigan State Police officer’s holstered M18 discharged without any trigger contact. The report concluded the officer was not handling the weapon at the time.
Days after the report surfaced, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a permanent ban on P320-series pistols.
Jason St. John, senior director of strategic products for Sig Sauer’s Defense Strategies Group, recently told The War Zone that the FBI’s testing was flawed.
“Sig Sauer continues to have full faith in the P320,” St. John said. “Due to the FBI manually manipulating the P320 sear improperly, Sig Sauer refutes the initial results.”
