Troops left to fend for themselves after Army was warned of flaws in M4 rifle

[LRRPF52]

The AR15 was very well developed already by 1967 with the Colt Model 603 (M16A1). Even the first production guns were viable (Colt 601), and many are still in use today in the USAF. For the rifle configuration, not much has really changed when looking at the buffer, recoil spring, BCG, and barrel in terms of a functional weapon.

For the carbines, there have been a lot of minor tweaks here and there, but nothing earth-shattering, and the M4/Colt Commando is one of the most reliable, lethal weapon systems of all the assault rifles in the world.

The M855A1 smokes 3/8" AR500 steel from a carbine, so barrier penetration is quite impressive with it compared to 7.62 AP even, beating it due to sectional density.

Don't get me started on AK's.

Also, when it comes to elite units, they are often the test bed for weapons and ammunition, clothing, equipment, and TTP's that eventually get adopted by big Green Pickle machine.

If these guys would do an article on troops being left to fend for themselves in the vacuum of competent leadership, then we would have something of substance that actually addresses the ground truth. We have some of the best equipment and weapons of any nation in the world really when you see what other poor suckers are stuck with, especially for the size of military the US has. Being able to crank out quality and quantity is not easy, and there aren't any other nations that come to mind that compare well with how stringent the evaluation and vetting process is for US Army and Marine Infantry weapons, especially what goes on in Alaska. We have layers of engineers, T&E personnel, test platoons and OT&E units, and fielding initiatives that would make most other nations' head spin in scope, depth, and duration.