The U.S. Air Force’s Global Strike Command has indefinitely halted the use of the M18 pistol after a tragic incident at F.E. Warren Air Force Base on July 20, 2025, left a Security Forces non-commissioned officer dead. The standard-issue sidearm, a military variant of the SIG Sauer P320, allegedly discharged while holstered, striking the Airman in the chest without any physical manipulation of the trigger.
In response, Global Strike Command ordered all M18s removed from operational and training use. Personnel assigned to nuclear security duties have been temporarily issued M4 rifles in place of sidearms, and a command-wide inspection of every M18 pistol is now underway. The investigation is being led by Air Force Special Investigations and safety review boards.
Incident Details: Holstered Pistol, No Trigger Pull
Eyewitness accounts and unofficial internal reports describe a chilling scenario: during a routine task, the holstered M18—chambered and secured—was set down on a table. Without any trigger input, it discharged. The round struck the Airman in the chest, resulting in an immediate fatality. Though the Air Force has not released full investigative findings, internal memos indicate that an “uncommanded discharge” is the focus of inquiry.
This incident occurred less than a week after the public release of a federal report from the FBI’s Ballistic Research Facility warning of similar unintentional discharges with the P320 platform. That report raised questions about the mechanical reliability of the striker-fired system, particularly in law enforcement and military environments where pistols are often carried chambered in high-retention holsters.
Breaking👀🚨
Sig M18 Pistols Pulled From Use By Air Force Global Strike Command
A fatal incident prompted the order to pause M18 use, which also comes after the disclosure of a concerning FBI report that Sig has pushed back on.
Story: https://t.co/tLvPT1zYo2
— Tyler Rogoway (@Aviation_Intel) July 22, 2025
Longstanding Concerns With the P320/M18 Platform
The SIG Sauer P320 and its military variant, the M18, have been under the microscope for years due to ongoing safety concerns—chief among them, the possibility of the gun firing without the trigger ever being pulled. This isn’t just internet rumor. Reports of these so-called “uncommanded discharges” go back as far as 2017 and include both civilian and law enforcement use.
At the heart of the issue is the pistol’s striker-fired design. The P320/M18 uses a partially pre-tensioned striker system, which means part of the firing energy is already stored inside the gun before the shooter even touches the trigger. In theory, this design allows for a cleaner, lighter trigger pull. But in practice, if internal parts like the sear or striker safety fail—even for a split second while holstering, running, or moving quickly—the pistol can release a round without warning.
That’s not conjecture; a 2024 FBI Ballistic Research Facility report confirmed this in controlled tests. In one case, a brand-new M18 fired while holstered after the sear slipped and the striker safety failed, all without a finger on the trigger.
SIG did acknowledge safety concerns early on. In 2017, after multiple drop-fire incidents, the company rolled out a voluntary upgrade to improve drop safety. The changes involved tweaking the trigger, sear, and striker safety components. Since then, SIG has repeatedly stated that the updated design meets all safety standards and that the pistol only fires when the trigger is pulled. Still, the problems didn’t vanish.
Over the years, dozens of lawsuits have been filed against SIG Sauer, claiming the P320 went off without user input. Some cases were thrown out. Others cost the company money. Law enforcement agencies like ICE, and training programs such as Washington State’s Criminal Justice Training Commission, have outright banned or restricted use of the P320 over safety concerns. Even though the U.S. military stuck with the M17 and M18 versions, they’ve quietly made changes—like issuing upgraded holsters and adjusting training protocols—to mitigate risk.
SIG Sauer has dug in. The company insists the P320 is safe and that any discharges are due to improper handling or aftermarket modifications, not the gun’s design. They say critics are either misinformed or politically motivated. According to SIG, repeated testing has failed to recreate uncommanded discharges under what they consider “normal conditions.”
But here we are in mid-2025, and the debate is still raging. The FBI’s technical report reignited public concern. Today’s case of the Air Force pausing use of the M18 after a Security Forces Airman died when his pistol allegedly discharged while still holstered brought everything back into focus—and sparked new questions about whether this design is a smart choice for those who carry a weapon every day.
In plain terms, the controversy boils down to one thing: does this pistol pose an unacceptable risk, or has it been unfairly targeted? The jury’s still out, but what’s clear is that for many users—especially those in uniform—trust in the P320/M18 platform has been shaken, and it’s going to take more than a press release from SIG Sauer to fix that.
AFGSC’s Response: All M18s Grounded
This is the first time the Air Force has halted an entire class of standard-issue sidearms across an entire major command. The fact that this occurred within Global Strike Command—responsible for safeguarding nuclear assets—underscores the severity.
An official statement cited “ongoing safety concerns” as the reason for the suspension. All affected personnel have been directed to carry rifles until the investigation is complete and a full inspection of all pistols is finalized. The Air Force has not confirmed whether any specific component of the pistol is at fault.
SIG Sauer’s Defense and Mounting Litigation
SIG Sauer has been unwavering in its defense of the P320 and its military cousin, the M18. The company’s position is simple and emphatic: the pistol cannot, under any circumstances, fire without the trigger being pulled. According to them, every claim to the contrary is either the result of user error or outright misinformation.
They’ve gone further than just denying the problem. SIG has publicly accused trial lawyers, activist groups, and media outlets of launching what they call coordinated disinformation campaigns. In their words, these critics are using “lawfare tactics” and “anti-gun mob” rhetoric to stir up controversy, attract lawsuits, and damage the company’s name for profit or political points.
As far as safety goes, SIG insists the P320/M18 has been put through the wringer. They highlight the pistol’s testing by the U.S. Army and various law enforcement agencies around the world, which they say proves its reliability. The pistol is equipped with multiple built-in safety features, including a striker safety lock that prevents the striker from moving unless the trigger is pulled, a captive safety lever, and redundant sear notches meant to act as mechanical fail-safes. The military models also have a manual thumb safety, which physically blocks the trigger unless flipped to “fire.”
SIG has acknowledged some technical concerns raised by independent reviewers—things like wear on the sear under recoil or slight movement of internal springs—but they maintain that none of those findings indicate a real-world safety issue. They argue that these are normal wear patterns seen in any mechanical system and are well within safe operating limits.
In the courtroom, SIG Sauer has had a mixed track record, but they’ve won enough cases to claim the design holds up under legal scrutiny. Many of the lawsuits brought against them have been dismissed, and in some cases, Sig has even gone on the offensive—filing suits against law firms that, in their view, intentionally misrepresented the gun’s mechanics to gin up business.
SIG also makes it clear that no mechanical system can replace proper handling. They point to their own user manuals, which advise against carrying the pistol with a chambered round unless the user is trained and ready to fire. Their message is that training, discipline, and good judgment are as essential as any built-in safety feature.
Finally, the company points to continued use by the U.S. military and a long list of law enforcement agencies across the globe as proof that the platform is trusted by professionals who rely on it daily. In their view, if the pistol was truly unsafe, it would’ve been pulled from service long ago.
In short, SIG Sauer stands firmly behind the P320/M18. They maintain that the gun is mechanically sound, that the stories of uncommanded discharges are overblown or misrepresented, and that most incidents come down to human error, not engineering failure.
What’s at Stake Now
While the Air Force awaits the outcome of its investigation, questions continue to mount: Was this a mechanical failure, a design flaw, or a tragic anomaly? And more broadly—can the M18 be trusted to serve as the sidearm for U.S. troops in high-stakes environments?
This event has already altered policy inside Global Strike Command. Whether other Air Force commands—or the broader military—take similar action will hinge on what the investigation uncovers inside that holster and how the chain of events unraveled to end in tragedy.