#USArmy
CMP Emails List of Requirements for 1911 Purchase
The CMP Board of Directors has discussed at length how the sales of 1911s would be handled, if the CMP were to ever receive them from the United States Army.
Why NGSAR Is DOOMED TO FAIL (Brief Thoughts 006)
It’s almost 3 in the morning, and I’m lying awake in bed thinking about small arms. I’m trying to put everything out of my mind so I can go to sleep and wake up in the morning, go to the range, and bring you some raw ballistic data. So of course what pops into my head is an almost complete article about just why the Army’s latest whizzbang rifle program is doomed to collapse in a heap. All I have to do is write it.
M17 Holster Unveiled as Safariland 7TS Variant
The first holster to be issued with the US Army’s new Modular Handgun System, including both the M17 and M18 pistols, will be a variant of the Safariland 7TS holster, featuring both ALS and SLS locking systems. The holster is the first of at least three holsters to be procured as part of the MHS program, to be followed by a variant that accommodates an aiming laser/light module, as well as a concealed holster for the M18 compact variant. The holster was procured through the tailored logistics program, and the vendor selected for its ability to meet MHS’s timeline, according to a Military.com article written by Matthew Cox.
M17 MHS to Arm Soldiers Down to Team Leader Level
The US Army has announced a decision to field the M17 MHS as a sidearm to more soldiers than were previously issued M9 handguns. Where previously only senior leadership were authorized to carry handguns, with the new M17 and M18 Modular Handgun System squad and team leaders will be authorized. The move is intended to give those leaders greater flexibility in close quarters battle. Military.com reports:
US Army Now Fielding SIG SAUER M17, M18 Pistols
SIG SAUER announced that the United States Army was now issuing the M17 and M18 pistols to combat troops. The first to receive the new pistols is the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st ABN DIV (AASLT) in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Breaking: US Army OFFICIALLY Cancels ICSR Program
Rest in Peace Interim Combat Service Rifle, we hardly knew thee. The Army’s ICSR program has joined the much more ambitious Advanced Combat Rifle program of the 1980s and the more recent ill-fated Individual Carbine program in the annals of US Army rifle procurement history.
US Army Shopping for Sniper Rifle Suppressors
The US Army is potentially in the market for new suppressors for some of its sniper rifles. On 26 October a Sources Sought Notice was posted on FedBizOps for suppressors for the M24 Sniper Weapon System by the Army Contracting Command.
"SOLDIER OF THE FUTURE" Concept Displayed by US Army at [AUSA 2017]
At the 2017 Association of the United States Army annual meeting (AUSA 2017), US Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command (RDECOM) presented a concept for the US Army’s future soldier of the 2030 timeframe, which promised everything from powered exoskeletons, to futuristic optics, to individual network capability. I captured the Command’s two future soldier concept demo videos that were running at the conference, embedded below:
Army to Procure Weapons Like SOCOM: Chief of Staff Announces New Futures & Modernization Command at [AUSA 2017]
The US Army’s new centralized procurement organization has been named: In his address at the Eisenhower Luncheon at the 2017 Association of the United States Army, US Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley announced the creation of a Futures and Modernization Command (FMC), which would oversee the process of research, development, testing, evaluation, and procurement (RDTE&P) from start to finish. In his address, General Milley outlined a new process which would fundamentally change the current procurement model to a new one based on that used by US Special Operations Command:
Army's M17 Modular Handgun System to Reach First Units in November
It has been announced that the US Army’s Modular Handgun System, the XM17, will officially become the M17 and begin issue to units near the end of the year.
In the Wake of ICSR, US Army to Reform Weapons Procurement Process
US Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley has released a letter outlining a major reform and restructuring effort for US Army weapons development, testing, and procurement. In the letter, CSA General Milley spoke of the need for a new procurement command structure:
US Army Still Seeking M4A2+ Carbines?
After being cancelled in mid-2016, could the M4 Carbine upgrade program still be alive? That is the suggestion from a line in the US Army’s justification for its research budget in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, which references an “M4A2 Plus Rifle” as a new weapons development effort:
Operation OVERMATCH – US Army's New Video Game for Testing the Future Equipment
US Army has announced the launch of a new gaming system called “ Operation Overmatch“. It will allow the US Army personnel to have a visual reference and test the virtual versions of the future gear, equipment, vehicles and operation concepts. As Lt. Col. Brian Vogt (United States Army Capabilities Integration Center) said: “Gaming is not just for entertainment anymore, now it is for experimenting”.
After Army Boondoggles, Could the Marines Take the Lead on Small Arms Development?
With the termination of the Interim Combat Service Rifle, the CSASS program on hold, and the XM25 CDTE dead and buried, many are wondering: When will the Army get its act together on small arms? Given the long history of Army program failures, though, maybe a better question would be: If the Army can’t take the lead on small arms development, who can?