Improved carbines headed your way - Army Times

Special ops model goes Army-wide; more weapons upgrades in the works

By Lance M. Bacon - Army Times Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Apr 30, 2011 9:46:41 EDT

Half a million soldiers will soon trade their M4 for an enhanced version of the Special Operations Command M4A1. The Army also will replace its 600,000 M16s with the enhanced M4A1 — or something better.
These are among a dozen changes that will provide soldiers a lighter and more lethal arsenal in the coming years.
M4 upgrades will start with SOCOM’s M4A1, which has a heavy barrel and automatic fire. The heavier barrel reduces warping and erosion, resulting in better performance and longer life. It also allows for a higher sustained rate of fire.
The Army is bettering SOCOM’s M4A1 by adding ambidextrous controls and improvements to the bolt, bolt carrier and forward rail to increase the carbine’s effectiveness and accuracy.
It will take about 10 years to retrofit the entire inventory, said Col. Douglas Tamilio, project manager for soldier weapons.
Replacing M16s will start in 2014 as the Army looks to “pure fleet” with carbines. The big question is whether the M4A1 or an entirely new weapon will be picked to replace the 600,000 M16s. Tamilio thinks a new carbine will emerge.
“I’m very positive in my outlook that the Army is going to see a new carbine,” he told Army Times. “I really think they’re going to.”
The Army is hosting a $30 million carbine competition to answer that question. All competitors must present their products by mid-August. No caliber restriction has been placed on new designs. They must be at least a 500-meter weapon and have a higher incapacitation percentage.

Pendleton Marines turn the tide in the ‘Fallujah of Afghanistan’

Our Marines are doing a heck of a job out there.  Let's hope their sacrifice leads us to success and victory so that we can bring all our troops back sooner than later!

Photo by Nelvin C. Cepeda


By Gretel C. Kovach
SANGIN, Afghanistan — It would be hard to forget that face, even if they hadn’t seen it just the day before.
A young Afghan man stood on the side of a narrow dirt lane, watching an open-top truckload of Marines head into a volatile neighborhood in this river valley town coveted by Taliban insurgents and drug lords.
The man smiled at the Marines and waved. Then he yanked a kite string detonation cord attached to a bomb buried in the road.
A platoon from Camp Pendleton’s 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment would have been decimated in the attack. The battalion already had suffered more casualties than any other in the 10-year war in Afghanistan, long before its seven-month tour ended this month. But the homemade device was a dud. It smoked but failed to explode until the Marines drove safely out of the way.
The next day, the Marines shot their way back into the ravine, wounding an armed fighter who was dragged into a mosque. When they reached the alley where they had been attacked, Cpl. Jason Gaal and Staff Sgt. Nathan Stocking couldn’t believe their eyes. Both recognized a guy riding by on a motorcycle.
“Lo’ and behold, there’s our trigger man,” Gaal said.

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XM2010 arrives in Afghanistan

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Dennis Long, a mechanic with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls, and a native of Williamsburg, Iowa, fires an XM2010 Sniper Rifle on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, April 8. The XM2010 is a new Army-purchased weapon being distributed to sniper teams operating in Afghanistan.

(Story and photos by Sgt. Grant Matthes)   BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Sniper instructors displayed the new XM2010 Sniper Rifle at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, April 9 to allow service members to look at, shoot and familiarize themselves with the weapon system.

The XM2010 is a .30 caliber bolt-action rifle with a folding stock, a rail system capable of mounting multiple weapon accessories and uses box magazines that house five rounds.

Marines to get new underwear to protect against attacks in Afghanistan

"The shorts are designed to prevent dirt and debris from entering wounds caused by improvised explosive devices, a favorite weapon of the Taliban."

by the LA Times, Read the article...


Or if you can't wait to protect your family jewels, you can purchase these here...

New helmets and new protective gear

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, April 20, 2011) -- The results of a year-long study to build the best helmet to withstand blunt trauma were unveiled at a Pentagon press briefing April 19, 2011.

Funded by the U.S. Army and the Joint IED Defeat Organization, the study found that the Advanced Combat Helmet, or ACH, continues to be the Soldiers' best protection.

The main objectives of the study, undertaken by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, were to gain insight on how the helmet pads protect against impact-induced traumatic brain injury, or TBI, and find better ways to protect Soldiers.

"There are three things we're trying to provide our Soldiers," said Brig. Gen. Peter Fuller, program executive officer at PEO Soldier, "protection from blasts, such as the blast wave experienced in the body; blunt or impact trauma when the body is slammed up against the interior of a vehicle following an IED explosion; and ballistics -- being hit by bullets and fragments."

Check out What Really Happened at Wanat | U.S. Naval Institute

This article was published last July, and it describes why many M-4's failed.  It puts into perspective its design limitation and the need for proper and realistic training with it...

"By Kirk Ross, Proceedings Magazine

Some press accounts have placed blame for M4 carbine malfunctions at the Battle of Wanat, Afghanistan, squarely on the weapon's manufacturer. In fact, other factors could have led to the disaster there..."
Read more...

Marksmanship Matters

From American Rifleman

Without trying very hard, you can start a dandy argument about U.S. Army marksmanship training. The sub-genres include 7.62 versus 5.56, and M14 versus M4/M16. But let’s put aside the hardware for a moment and focus on the most immediate concern: how the Army trains soldiers for infantry combat...

Read more...

Industry Squaring off for Army’s Carbine Competition

Story from Peo Soldier

On 30 March, nearly 40 weapons manufacturers packed into a hotel across the street from the Pentagon knowing that only one of them will prevail in the Army’s carbine competition to determine who makes the best carbine in the world. The group gathered to hear Army leaders answer questions regarding its full and open competition, which is slated to begin in May. The competition is part of the Army’s “Dual Path Strategy” to improve its M4 Carbine weapon system while simultaneously challenging industry to present a better carbine.

In his remarks to industry at the Army’s Carbine Competition pre-solicitation conference, Lt. Gen. Michael Vane, deputy commanding general, futures, and director, Army Capabilities Integration Center, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, emphasized the importance of equipping small units in an era of persistent conflict stating, “The individual carbine is of critical importance in giving the Soldier the decisive edge in the close combat arena and it is a key component of an integrated Soldier and small unit system.”

“We must always seek the best available weapon systems and equipment for our Soldiers,” said Lt. Gen. William N. (Bill) Phillips, principal military deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition Logistics and Technology) addressing industry members. “They depend upon us and we cannot let them down. The Army can’t do it alone. Industry can’t do it alone. But when we work together, I believe we can do it in a most powerful way.”

The Army has fully funded the competition that supports the Army’s strategic emphasis to increase the capabilities of small units. In separate remarks, Lt. Gen. Michael A. Vane, deputy commanding general, futures, and director, Army Capabilities Integration Center, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, emphasized the importance of equipping small units in an era of persistent conflict. Lt. Gen. Vane stressed that the future operational environment will exhibit uncertainty and complexity and result in the dispersion of the infantry squad on the battlefield.

Fire Resistant Army Combat Uniform Permethrin from PEO Soldier

Soldiers are issued gear such as body armor, protective eyewear, and helmets to protect them from threats on the battlefield, but now they will get protection against a common enemy from the most basic piece of equipment – their uniforms. The Army is now issuing Flame-Resistant Army Combat Uniforms (FR ACUs) that have been factory-treated with the insect repellent, permethrin, to help protect Soldiers against the annoyance and dangers of biting insects and insect-borne diseases.

XM25 from PEO Soldier

The XM25, Counter Defilade Target Engagement (CDTE) System enables the small unit and individual Soldier to engage defilade targets by providing a 25mm air bursting capability that can be used in all operational environments. The CDTE is a direct-fire, semi-automatic, shoulder-fired, man-portable weapon system. An individual Soldier employing basic rifle marksmanship skills can effectively engage exposed or defilade targets in just seconds.


Video of the Week

Fox Company, 2506 Infantry Battalion, Afghanistan



 Capt. David Schultz gives a briefing of an attack by insurgents at his outpost.  The insurgents suffered heavy casualties, estimated at 120 killed, and their defeat provided invaluable information.  The Captain's unit suffered only 5 WIA and all returned to duty shortly.

U.S. Army M24 Sniper Rifle Upgrades

Listen to internet radio with IDGA.org - On Point on Blog Talk Radio


Podcast of the M24 Sniper Rifle Upgrade, the XM2010. It was broadcast last year and it details the upgrades to it.  By Major Elliot Caggins and Bob Galeazzi of PEO Soldier.

The Big Picture: Afghanistan 3/2011

This month's photos of the war in Afghanistan compiled by the Boston Globe:

Hot Babe of the Month: April