Crisis of Confidence in Military Equipment?

Are US soldiers properly equipped, and is the military doing enough assessment to find out? These are questions posed by Winslow Wheeler in a quick read that includes some surprising information.

When reports came out of widespread weapon jams in the early days of the invasion, especially in the coverage of the ambush of Jessica Lynch's unit, I wondered if the issue was inexperience in the desert. Apparently not, because it continues:

The most disturbing information is about infantry weapons. In one official report, 13 to 20 percent of soldiers reported jamming in the M-4 carbine, even though many augmented their cleaning kits with special brushes and picks. Fifty-four percent of those equipped with the M249 machine gun reported maintenance problems, and up to 35 percent said they were not confident in the weapon. There were also complaints about the M9 pistol, that it suffers from corrosion problems and the weak magazine spring does not reliably feed rounds into the chamber. Complaints about poor performing M16 magazines are also common. These are not problems for the enemy; the Soviet-designed AK-47 assault rifle and its magazines operate unaffected in virtually all climates and conditions, even when not properly maintained.

Another issue Wheeler cites is concern about the lethality of small caliber weapons. Essentially, a small bullet leaves a small hole, and a small hole is less likely to drop a target in one shot. There are widespread complaints about some of the government issue weapons that our soldiers are supplied with.

The upside of this is that the Army and Marines are slated to begin a wide ranging survey of returning combat troops to get a feel for their attitudes about supply issues. As Wheeler notes, the DoD is spending $1 billion a day on combat operations, and finding out which weapons really work on the ground is key for sustaining operations over the long haul.

Hat tip to Kirkrrt for the link.

Posted by shamanic at January 6, 2006 12:07 PM | TrackBack