thedrifter
08-30-05, 01:03 PM
September 05, 2005
Course incorporates latest weapons, field gear
By Christian Lowe
Times staff writer
After putting their standard-issue equipment to the test in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, Marines are increasingly customizing their combat loads with commercially available tactical gear. The type of equipment that was once exclusive to high-speed special operations forces is now finding its way to the average Marine.
More and more units are being given pre-deployment cash to purchase the accessories for their troops, including thigh holsters and three-point slings.
Now, the Corps’ new marksmanship program accomodates the gear Marines are using in combat.
The three point “tactical” sling, for example, is a popular and common accessory to the M16A2 rifle, the A4 and the M4 carbine.
Staff Sgt. Robert Miller, assigned to 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company in Iraq, says he bought a three-point sling before they were issued to his unit.
“I use it off and on,” he said in an e-mail from Iraq. “Sometimes it is a pain in the a-- to move with it and all your gear on. But when you’re holding a radio and talking it’s great.”
Miller was skeptical of the addition of the tactical sling to the annual rifle re-qualification.
“To qualify with it slung across my body? I don’t think range safety would ever go for it because it’s not pointing down range,” he said.
Recognizing the utility of the three-point sling, the Corps so far has issued 56,000 in response to the urgent needs of leathernecks in Iraq.
The sling has been refined since the first ones were issued during Operation Iraqi Freedom and its aftermath. They now feature stronger sling swivels that resist melting and a quick release buckle so a Marine can drop the weapon off his body in an emergency.
Plans call for issuing the sling to all Marines.
Another indication of the changing gear list among combat units is the incorporation of the M4 into the marksmanship program.
The carbine has been a subject of heated debate in recent years, as Marines have debated the value of making it the standard issue weapon instead of the M16. Some praise the weapon’s telescoping stock and compact design, while others fear the Corps is getting caught up in the mystique of a “sexy spec-ops weapon.”
But even amid the debate, fielding has seen a surge since the war on terrorism began. The Corps fielded 200 M4 carbines last year, with 10,000 more to be fielded through 2007. Who gets the M4 is up to the individual Marine Expeditionary Force commander, but mostly vehicle crewmen, Humvee drivers and some infantry officers will get the compact rifle, said Maj. Mike Manning, individual infantry weapons team leader at Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Va.
Also increasingly common in the field is the M16A4, which boasts a rail system for mounting combat optics, flashlights and other equipment. Again, because Marines are using them in the field, Training and Education Command will let them qualify with those weapons on the range.
But Marines who turn out for requalification with the M16A2 shouldn’t feel behind the times. When the A4 was introduced a few years ago, the emphasis was on supplying combat arms troops.
That means many thousands of Marines are still firing the A2 as their issued weapon. So far, about 40,000 M16A4 rifles have been fielded, with another 26,000 to be fielded through 2007, Manning said.
Ellie
Course incorporates latest weapons, field gear
By Christian Lowe
Times staff writer
After putting their standard-issue equipment to the test in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, Marines are increasingly customizing their combat loads with commercially available tactical gear. The type of equipment that was once exclusive to high-speed special operations forces is now finding its way to the average Marine.
More and more units are being given pre-deployment cash to purchase the accessories for their troops, including thigh holsters and three-point slings.
Now, the Corps’ new marksmanship program accomodates the gear Marines are using in combat.
The three point “tactical” sling, for example, is a popular and common accessory to the M16A2 rifle, the A4 and the M4 carbine.
Staff Sgt. Robert Miller, assigned to 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company in Iraq, says he bought a three-point sling before they were issued to his unit.
“I use it off and on,” he said in an e-mail from Iraq. “Sometimes it is a pain in the a-- to move with it and all your gear on. But when you’re holding a radio and talking it’s great.”
Miller was skeptical of the addition of the tactical sling to the annual rifle re-qualification.
“To qualify with it slung across my body? I don’t think range safety would ever go for it because it’s not pointing down range,” he said.
Recognizing the utility of the three-point sling, the Corps so far has issued 56,000 in response to the urgent needs of leathernecks in Iraq.
The sling has been refined since the first ones were issued during Operation Iraqi Freedom and its aftermath. They now feature stronger sling swivels that resist melting and a quick release buckle so a Marine can drop the weapon off his body in an emergency.
Plans call for issuing the sling to all Marines.
Another indication of the changing gear list among combat units is the incorporation of the M4 into the marksmanship program.
The carbine has been a subject of heated debate in recent years, as Marines have debated the value of making it the standard issue weapon instead of the M16. Some praise the weapon’s telescoping stock and compact design, while others fear the Corps is getting caught up in the mystique of a “sexy spec-ops weapon.”
But even amid the debate, fielding has seen a surge since the war on terrorism began. The Corps fielded 200 M4 carbines last year, with 10,000 more to be fielded through 2007. Who gets the M4 is up to the individual Marine Expeditionary Force commander, but mostly vehicle crewmen, Humvee drivers and some infantry officers will get the compact rifle, said Maj. Mike Manning, individual infantry weapons team leader at Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Va.
Also increasingly common in the field is the M16A4, which boasts a rail system for mounting combat optics, flashlights and other equipment. Again, because Marines are using them in the field, Training and Education Command will let them qualify with those weapons on the range.
But Marines who turn out for requalification with the M16A2 shouldn’t feel behind the times. When the A4 was introduced a few years ago, the emphasis was on supplying combat arms troops.
That means many thousands of Marines are still firing the A2 as their issued weapon. So far, about 40,000 M16A4 rifles have been fielded, with another 26,000 to be fielded through 2007, Manning said.
Ellie