MAJ Ehrhart - Increasing Small Arms Lethality in Afgh.

[Chris jM]

Thanks for your last reply.

We had a maintenance problem, and a training problem, and a mobility problem, with the employment of the SAW within the team and squad...

Do you think the USMC has this problem as a service specific issue, or do you think it is universally applicable to all armies with belt-fed weapons in the squad/section?

I ask this as I have never heard of any issues with the M249 in my army. I wonder whether this is due to a lack of low-level combat experience compared to the USMC, or whether it is a cultural/employment issue.

[Chris jM]

Just to clarify my last post so it doesn't appear inadvertantly condescending - by 'low level combat experience' I mean small unit, not low intensity, and by 'cultural/employment' I'm referring to where the weapon is located in the unit, how it is employed and to what end, etc.