Delta Force General prefer 1911 instead of Glock as his sidearm

Eric Sof

General Austin Miller brandishing Glock pistol at his hip
In this picture, Austin Miller, the 4-star general, appears to be carrying a Glock in a hip holster with a threaded barrel, and what looks like a red dot sight mounted on the slide. From the picture, it’s difficult to determine the model of the gun. (Photo: XY)

How a top U.S. Army general ditch his 1911 pistol instead of a Glock? Well, easy, when you wear four stars in the Army, you get a bit of leeway in what you carry as your personal sidearm.

Though 1911 has been mostly out of service with the US military for years, having last been widely fielded by various Marine Corps special operations units, there’s an incredibly cool relationship between Miller and the back-to-back world war champ pistol.

Indeed, that ages-old tradition hasn’t yet gone away, as we reported last year when pictures of Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller, the commander of all US forces in Afghanistan, surfaced with him carrying a tricked-out 1911 as his sidearm. Gen. Miller is also known as “Delta Force General.”

General Miller brandishing his 1911 sidearm
General Miller brandishing his 1911 sidearm (Photo: XY)

A picture of the commander of all U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller, has been taken showing him wearing a tricked-out 1911 as his sidearm. Despite 1911 pistol is out of service in the Army, it is still used by Marine Corps special operations units. Miller served as an operator with the Army’s 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta before he became a four-star general. Back then, 1911 was what the operators trained on to perfect marksmanship. Although the Unit moved away from 1911 and opted for a Glock solution in .40 S&W, by the 1990s 1911 pistol was retooled to perfection with boosted reliability and accuracy.

In 2009, General Miller chose 1911 to be his sidearm, but most of the modifications have been kept a secret. Miller does have a second preference, however. When he is not carrying his 1911, Miller prefers a Glock, a pistol that SOCOM warfighters are well acquainted with. In a photo, Miller appears to be carrying a Glock with a threaded barrel with a red dot sight mounted on the slide. In this particular picture, it is hard to determine the model; however, Miller was spotted at an awards ceremony carrying a Glock 19 with a threaded barrel.

Indeed, that ages-old tradition hasn’t yet gone away, as we reported last year when pictures of Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller, the commander of all US forces in Afghanistan, surfaced with him carrying a tricked-out 1911 as his sidearm.

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2 thoughts on “Delta Force General prefer 1911 instead of Glock as his sidearm”

  1. Good for him! I retired in Oct 2003 as an Infantry officer. Issued m1911a1 in the 1st half of my career. Qualified expert with it and the M9. To put it mildly…. I did not like the M9. I have a concealed pistol license and rotate carrying a 1911 45 compact and a Glock 19. Currently carrying the G19.

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