Quote Originally Posted by Jones_RE View Post
Why not issue both a full power rifle and an assault rifle? Everyone seems to be in absolute agreement that you have to select one single caliber to issue to the entire squad.
It's not an impossible idea, but the descision would have to be based on some pretty rigourous testing because right now the case is not proven to my mind.
In the British Army between 1963 and 85 it was common to issue 1-2 AR-15/M-16 to SLR equipped sections in Northern Ireland, Belize, or Brunei, to provide close range full automatic fire. - so a variation of what you suggest was commonly done by the UK.

WWII infantry used a combination of automatic rifles/machine guns, full power rifles and submachine guns. This provided a combination of accurate long range fire, full automatic suppressing fire, and close quarters automatic fire.

These weapons used at least two different types of ammunition and somehow the supply system held up. Why not consider it again?
The current UK platoon issues 3-4 different SAA natures. The US also. The problem is not the supply system. The problem is the sub-unit and platoon management and scales. If the Platoon just has 5.56mm Ball as it's SAA nature, it's vastly easier to manage, carry and scale than having
  1. 5.56mm ball
  2. 5.56mm link
  3. 7.62mm link
  4. 7.62mm ball - Marksman.


Plus there is all the other ammunition nature you need, like 40mm, (3 types), grenades (2 types) LAWs, etc etc.
IMO, if you focus just on small arms ammunition, you are not solving the problem.