The Association of the United States Army held its annual meeting on October 6-8 in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington DC. As one of the premier showcases demonstrating developments in the defense industry, more than 500 exhibitors from more than a dozen countries displayed their products and services. Displays included cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, small and medium caliber small arms, and armored vehicles. Small Arms Review was present to report on new products and advances within the defense community.

ATK

ATK showcased a new medium caliber system utilizing a redesigned 20mm, 25mm, and 30mm weapons system. Designed in two parts, the weapon mount has been designated the PAWS – the Palletized Autonomous Weapons System. As a self contained and fully autonomous weapons system, the PAWS system provides the user the capability to aim and fire virtually any small and medium caliber weapon.

As a roll on/roll off system, the PAWS can be fully palletized for air delivery. Set up time from crate to running system testing is reportedly less than 10 minutes. Designed from off-the-shelf components, the platform can be easily installed in a variety of platforms. Representatives of ATK indicate that due to the light weight, the PAWS system can be utilized within a light truck, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), light boat, or rotary aircraft.

Use of the system was extremely easy. A joy stick controls elevation, traverse, and fire controls, while a LCD display provides an aiming point and view of the target. The system is electrically powered, and capable of using batteries or a variety of external power sources.

In conjunction with the PAWS weapon mount, ATK has redesigned the 25mm Bushmaster chain gun. Designated the LW25 Bushmaster, the system is a compact and lightweight system based upon the successful Bushmaster family of chain guns. Weighing 68 pounds (unloaded) or 94 pounds with available soft mount and fire control unit, the LW25 has a reported cyclic rate of 250 rounds per minute. In addition, ATK representatives report that the system has a Mean Rounds Between Stoppages (MRBS) in excess of 35,000 rounds, providing an extremely reliable system.

The LW25 Bushmaster utilizes five newly designed 25mm cartridges: HEI (High Explosive Incendiary), HEDP (High Explosive Dual Purpose), PABM (Programmable Air Burst Munition), Shotshell, and TP (Training Practice). The new cartridges measure 25x59mm. ATK reports that the LW25 Bushmaster is ideal for applications that are currently limited to gas-operated guns. ATK representatives pointed out that the system is lighter than the M2HB, M240, and Mk19 machine guns, while providing increased lethality.

The Programmable Air Burst Munition is reportedly a remnant of the OICW program, complete with point detonating fuze and programmable airburst capability. As evidence that old projects never die, the OICW project is alive and well at ATK, and has now been designated the Individual Airburst Weapon System (IAWS). Designed to engage targets at 300 meters, the system has a maximum effective range of 500 meters. Similar to the OICW, the IAWS utilizes five types of ammunition: thermobaric, flechette, training, high-explosive airburst, and non-lethal.

Heckler and Koch

Heckler and Koch revealed a new blank firing adaptor intended for the M16 family of weapons. Intended to be used as a complete system comprised of a magazine and muzzle device, the blank firing adaptor is intended to prevent the use of live ammunition. The length of the magazine is reduced to prevent users from loading ball ammunition. Instead, only blank ammunition (which is typically shorter in length than live ammunition) may be loaded within the special magazine.

In the event that ball ammunition is forced into the magazine, a maximum of three live rounds will fit within the magazine. Attempts to load more than three live rounds will result in the rounds binding and jamming within the magazine. If live rounds are loaded within the magazine and fired through the weapon, the blank firing adaptor attached at the muzzle is capable of stopping a maximum of three live rounds.

The system is reportedly under test and evaluation by the U.S. Marine Corps. An HK representative indicated that the system is not currently in production, and would not be produced unless a significant order was placed by a branch of the military.

SAAB Bofors

Long known for the Carl Gustav recoilless AT rocket system, Saab Bofors displayed a variant of the venerable AT-4 anti-tank rocket system. The AT-4 system has been in the U.S. Army inventory since the mid-1980s. In an effort to revitalize and update the system, Saab Bofors improved the system in two significant ways.

The system was first outfitted with a liquid counter-mass to eliminate the back blast created when firing the weapon. As a recoilless system, the weapon’s back blast prevents use of the AT-4 system within confined spaces. With the new Saab Bofors improvements, the liquid counter mass reduces the back blast and eliminates the deadly effects of firing the system within a confined space.

The AT-4 system has always been intended as a disposable system. Unlike the Carl Gustav system, the AT-4 system cannot be reloaded once the rocket is fired. As originally designed, the plastic weapon sights are crude, simplistic, hard to use and cannot be zeroed or adjusted for range. As originally designed, the original AT-4 weapon sight cannot be zeroed, or adjusted for range. As a result, Saab Bofors worked together with Aimpoint to incorporate a red dot sight to the system. Adjustable for range, the soldier estimates the range to the target, adjusts the sight, places the aiming point directly on the target, and fires the weapon. As the AT-4 system is disposable, the new Aimpoint sights are reportedly disposable, and not intended to be reused. Finally, a Picatinny rail has been incorporated on the AT-4 tube, to allow the user to mount and use a laser designator or range finder as part of the system.

Barrett Firearms

Barrett Firearms revealed their new .338 Lapua bolt action rifle. Designated the Model 98B, the new .338 Lapua rifle sports a 27 inch barrel, and has an overall length of 49.75 inches. The barrel utilizes a ten-round polymer magazine, with an ambidextrous magazine release lever.

Built primarily of 7075 aluminum and polymer plastics, the complete system weighs in at 13.5 pounds. Considering that the Barrett 82A1 weighs nearly 31 pounds, the Barrett 98B provides significant weigh savings while providing a platform capable of heavy hitting long range shooting. The barrel is fluted for additional weight savings, while utilizing a 1-in-10 twist rate for long range accuracy.

Projected to be vailable in January 2009, the current suggested retail price will be $4,500.

Colt Defense

In response to recent U.S. Army solicitations and weapons tests, Colt Defense presented a large number of new and innovative weapon platforms. SAR spent a significant amount of time discussing weapons development with MG Battaglini, (USMC, Retired) Colt’s Chief Operating Officer and Kevin Brown, Vice President, Military Programs. Built in response to a request from the U.S. Army, MG Battaglini explained that the new models were not intended to replace the venerable M4 carbine. Rather, the new systems were designed to demonstrate the available technology, should the U.S. military decide to upgrade or change existing specifications to the M4 carbine system.

Colt Defense presented several major developments to the M4 weapon platform, including the use of a monolithic upper receiver, the use of a piston system, the creation of a hybrid short stroke gas/piston system, and an articulated gas piston.

Colt Defense also presented a newly designed 40mm low velocity grenade launcher. Designated the Eagle, the grenade launcher is a side opening, fully ambidextrous system capable of being used as either a stand-alone unit, or mounted to a battle rifle. With a built in pistol grip, the system appeared to be a direct competitor to the Heckler and Koch AG-C system, and was reportedly submitted for review by the U.S. Military when considering a replacement to the M203 weapons system.

Weighing 4.7 pounds, the Eagle weighs nearly two pounds heavier than the M203 legacy system, but provides additional capability to fire non-traditional rounds that would not otherwise fit within the M203 breach. Outfitted with Picatinny rails, the weapon is capable of accepting traditional iron sights intended for a 40mm system, or an EOTech 40mm grenade launcher sight. The Eagle is capable of firing nearly any conventional or commonly acquired 40mm lethal and less-lethal ammunition.

The AUSA annual meeting was an unqualified success and allowed many in the small arms industry to display recent developments and innovations. Although not all of the products displayed were in production, the AUSA show is a great opportunity to witness developments in the small arms industry, talk to the engineers involved in the research and development process, and discuss innovations with others within the small arms community.

The “Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier” is the over arching US Army organization responsible for the development, procurement, fielding and sustainment of nearly everything the soldier wears or carries. PEO Soldier at each AUSA event shows off its accomplishments in small arms, accessories and related individual and crew served weaponry within its expansive and well-staffed booth. The 2007 AUSA Annual Meeting exhibit was no exception. The PM for Soldier Weapons, Colonel Carl Lipsit, was there again and ready to discuss programs and US Army initiatives and objectives, and to provide this snapshot of ongoing efforts.

XM320 Grenade
Launcher Module (GLM)

The planned one-to-one replacement for the aging M203, the XM320 GLM, is in final testing to address numerous Army requested changes deemed advantageous before fielding. The contract for this more or less Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) item was awarded to Heckler & Koch in 2005. First fielding is planned for late fiscal year 2008 and will begin with the Army’s Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). The US Army plans to procure upwards of 60,000 M320s over the next 5 years. Final operational testing includes evaluation of the day/night sight (DNS) mounting bracket and remote activation switch. A commercial hand-held miniature laser range finder will also be procured and issued with the GLM to allow for range determination to the target, the most common reason for grenadiers missing targets with low velocity 40x46mm ordnance at ranges beyond 150 meters. The M320 will provide the war fighter with new capabilities to include modular on or off the weapon use, night fire capability and first round on target accuracy within 5 meters.

M110 SASS

The 7.62x51mm NATO Semi-Automatic Sniper System (SASS), developed for the US Army from the COTS Knight’s Armament SR-25/MK11 sniper rifle systems, has completed all testing, is in production, and by the time this article is published will have been fielded with various US Army units to include US Army National Guard units from New York. The M110 SASS brings back to the regular Army the availability of aimed and accurate .30 caliber semi-automatic rifle fire that was lost when the bolt-action US M24 Sniper Rifle fully replaced the semi-automatic Vietnam era M21. Old lessons relearned again. When you find an auto-loading sniper rifle like the M110 SASS that can deliver accuracy on par or better than a bolt-action rifle, and with that it brings the ability for rapid multiple shot/target engagement capability, a capability always appreciated in the fast moving urban combat environment, keep a place for such a “tool’ in your infantry tool box.

XM26 MASS

As has been reported in detail in a recent SAR issue, the XM26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System (MASS) has been in development for nearly 10 years. The US Army is now close to fully fielding the final weapon and has been working on various improvements to the design. This includes a new liquid (oil) hydraulic M4-style butt stock to reduce felt recoil from the relatively light weight shotgun in the stand-alone mode. 3-round and 5-round box magazines will be available for the M26 to suit the needs of both weapon mounted and stand-alone use.

M2HB QCB

PM Soldier Weapons will have released a solicitation for a Quick Change Barrel (QCB) version of the venerable M2HB heavy machine gun before this article is in print. The requirement will be for upgrades to existing guns to be installed at Anniston Army depot and then to purchase these upgrades on new guns at a later time. This requested package, available for some years from various vendors as COTS items, includes the quick-change barrel, fixed headspace and timing, new safety and an improved blank firing adapter and flash hider.

Breaking News in US Weapons Procurement: Information that Shook Up the Small Arms Community

The last several years have been “interesting” in the small arms community, as various companies jockeyed to present replacements for our legacy system; the venerable M16/M4 rifle. At this AUSA meeting, information was available that rocked the community.

Colonel Lipsit provided some insight into the then ongoing Extreme Dust Environment testing that was being conducted at Aberdeen Proving Ground in 2007. The test included the standard issue M4 Carbine (from US Army stock), the new SCAR-L Standard Carbine (prototype – LRIP design status), the HK416 Carbine (new production) and the XM8 Baseline Carbine (Spiral 3 prototypes from US Army stores). The M4 was tested with standard USGI aluminum magazines, the HK416 and SCAR-L with the vendor provided magazines and the XM8 with the polymer XM8/G36 magazine that is unique to that system. This test was intended to ascertain the performance of the US M4 Carbine in a severe dust/sand environment with various lubrication and cleaning methods/intervals applied. This is the third such test conducted on the M4 since 2006.

During the test, the weapons and test ammunition loaded in magazines and placed in magazine pouches, were “conditioned” in the dynamic dust chamber for 30 minutes. If ejection port covers were present on the weapons (M4 and HK416 only), they were closed and the bores sealed with shoot-through dust caps, SOP for soldiers in such environments. 120 rounds were then fired through each sample. The weapons were then re-exposed in the chamber again and another 120 rounds fired. At 600 round intervals the weapons were field stripped and wiped down. Lubrication was applied as per the manufacturers established guidelines for this test. At 1,200 rounds, the weapons were thoroughly cleaned. Testing continued to 6,000 rounds on each sample, the 6,000 round figure based upon the expected barrel and bolt service life as listed in the US military M4 specification document.

This testing, started in September 2007, was conducted after pressure was applied by Congress, primarily from the office of US Senator Tom Coburn, a hard charging Republican from Oklahoma and a long-time supporter of the US ground-pounder. Senator Coburn, and his equally engaged staff, orchestrated a delay in the confirmation of the then pending and now current Secretary of the Army, the Honorable Peter Geren, during the summer months of 2007. The purpose of this delay was to force the Army to evaluate the reliability of the US M4 Carbine against select op-rod 5.56mm carbines in a harsh dust/sand environment replicating as close as possible conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even special fine silicon based sand of the light powdery nature found in the Arabian Gulf was obtained for this assessment. An earlier and similar test at Aberdeen in January 2007 of new M4s, M16A2s and M249s in this dust/sand environment, conducted without lubrication in hopes that reliability would increase, ended with poor results for the M4; far below what had been expected, with a stoppage occurring on average once in every six rounds fired. A second similar test conducted by the Army in May 2007 ended with an average stoppage rate of one in 88 rounds fired. This latest 2007 dust/sand test was conducted using heavy lubrication, and as a result of Congressional involvement and pressure, included three modern carbine systems each of which employs an operating rod-style gas system.

Colonel Lipsit was quick to remind this writer that there was no requirement from the User Proponent, that being the US Army Infantry Center at Fort Benning, for a replacement to the M4 at this time. Therefore this test was for data collection only for review by the US Army in its current planning for what might one day replace the current M4 Carbine when the sole source contract to Colt Defense ends in June 2009.

First Formal US Army Test of Op Rod Carbines

With the help of experts in the community, Congress mandated that in addition to testing the baseline US M4 Carbine that this assessment would also include three other systems that stand out from the ever increasing field of more than 15 commercially available op rod ARs. These three carbines were picked because they are or were recently being considered for US fielding, or are actually blooding bad guys in combat by an elite assortment of US Government organizations as is the case with the highly regarded HK416. Already fielded with select US Special Operations Forces, the HK416 Enhanced Carbine has exceeded expectations of the elite user community that have adopted it to replace M4s and MK18 CQBRs. As has been reported in the “Army Times” over the last 16 months every tier one (classified) unit within the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has tested, fielded and continues to employ the HK416 today.

Even the US Army’s own relatively new and mostly unknown Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG) selected and fielded the HK416 in 2005 but ironically has been recently told by US Army leadership that its use of the HK416, a “non-standard” carbine, creates too many questions and requests from conventional units as to why the rest of the US Army cannot benefit from the availability of superior commercial off-the-shelf op rod carbines. They were then directed to turn them in. The removal of the 416s from the AWG began in November 2007 and will likely have been completed by the time this article goes to print. AWG sources reported that even after more than 2 years of hard training and combat use, not a single part was replaced in any HK416. Because M4s are hard to come by at the moment, the AWG received FN M16 lowers (with the M16 engraving milled off and M4 over stamped) with M4 upper receivers fitted to them. The 416s were sent to the depot; their fate unclear. Superior carbines as proven by other units, paid for by the US taxpayer, cherished by highly experienced and decorated AWG unit members, removed from a highly regarded operational unit and replaced by the very weapon they elected not to field to begin with.

SCAR Lights Up the Field

The second entry within this dust test is the new SCAR (Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle) being developed under contract for the USSOCOM by FNH USA, a regular and proud exhibitor at the AUSA Annual Meeting. Like the HK416, the SCAR family of rifles and carbines was developed as a result of user dissatisfaction with the documented poor performance and limitations of the 40+ year old M16/M4 platform when used hard in torturous SOF environments and on SOCOM missions. Like HK416, SCAR was developed from day one with first-hand user input and has been jointly and exhaustively tested by the expected end users, to include US Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force Special Operators in environments that closely replicate those in which the system will actually be deployed. The SCAR also uses an operating rod-style gas system and thus does away with the hollow gas tube and associated carbon fouling and heat transfer issues that have plagued the M16 and M4 with their direct gas system arrangements. It also boasts barrel life expectations of 35,000 rounds or greater and 100,000 round weapon service life, according to company and USSOCOM sources.

Dust off your XM8s

The third candidate (the word candidate may be misleading as the US Army is careful to point out this extreme dust/sand test was for data collection only. The final results will be reported to the US Army Infantry Center and be included in their ongoing Capabilities Based Assessment (CBA) intended to clarify and chart the US Army’s future path or plan for future small arms, due sometime before 2010) was the now defunct, and once US Army sweetheart, polymer based XM8. Once again operating with a piston rod, or operating rod gas system, the XM8 in its final official Spiral 3 configuration set a high water mark during reliability and environmental testing by the US Army in 2005 by achieving an impressive 18,000 round MRBEFF (Mean Rounds Between Essential Function Failure) performance rating (in layman’s terms, zero stoppages or parts failures in 18,000 rounds fired). No other official developmental carbine/rifle in the reported recent history of US Army testing has fared that well, according to sources within the test agencies.

Historical Significance

Four very different weapons in the first direct comparison test by the US Army in decades. The US M4; a combat proven and highly regarded variant of the original 1960s-era ArmaLite AR-15, first officially fielded with US forces in 1964, with its aluminum two part upper and lower receiver, add-on rail system and direct gas tube-style operating system. The HK416; a highly product improved hybrid of the famous ArmaLite platform, also sporting the two-piece forged aircraft-grade aluminum receiver design and using the proven pusher rod gas system first employed by its maker in the polymer G36 rifle in 1995, and with many of the same advantages and disadvantages of the Stoner design from which the weapon was reverse engineered. Then, the shinning star of the Tampa-based US Special Operations Command; the all business SCAR-L (L for “Light” for those versions chambered for the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge). With its one-piece extruded aluminum upper receiver with polymer lower receiver and user exchangeable barrels, the SCAR represents a unique departure for a US military rifle in that is shares up to 82% parts commonality with its big brother SCAR-H (H for “Heavy” or caliber 7.62x51mm NATO), and the many modular variants in the SCAR family, to include the short-barreled “CQC” (Close Quarters Combat), “S” (Standard Carbine) and “SV” (Sniper Variant) models. All basically the same caliber-specific platform, but with different interchangeable parts available for the user to configure the weapon he or she needs for today’s mission. Finally, the son of G36: the XM8. Arguably the most controversial rifle since the original AR-15 was introduced into the US military in the 1960s due to the unconventional way in which it was developed by the US Army and the fierce resistance from within the US Army itself, and the small arms industry, to its possible procurement from a foreign vendor without a US production plant and one that is not part of the existing US Small Arms Industrial Base. The mere thought of the US fielding a replacement to the US M4 and M16 without full and open competition, and direct comparative testing with other available systems, doomed the XM8 from the very start. An all polymer rifle save the barrel, bolt and select internal parts with a separate upper and lower receiver arrangement, using a polymer magazine and offering the user a multitude of possible variants mostly configurable in the field, the XM8 offers some notable advancements in ergonomics, user exchangeable stock options galore and a very innovative multi-function sighting device combining all of the needed “aimers” (red dot reflex sight and IR laser aimer and illuminator), and all zeroed in one single and simple operation.

Early Results

While the US Army’s Carbine Severe Dust Tests had just been completed and the final report still being written at the time of writing, early intel indicates that all three op rod carbines finished far ahead of the M4 for reliability in this environment. Sources report that the XM8 performed best amongst this pack with one stoppage every 472 rounds. The XM8 was followed by the SCAR-L with one stoppage every 265 rounds and then HK416 with one stoppage every 257 rounds. The M4’s performance was one stoppage every 68 rounds, just barely 2 magazines fired without incident, and a reliability rate almost 7 times worse than that of the XM8 under identical test conditions and protocol, almost 4 times worse than the SCAR-L and HK416. Reliable sources within the community reported that an adjustment to the lubrication schedule for the SCAR-L was required early on in the test, that one of the ten HK416 test samples performed poorly having most of the recorded stoppages and thus lowering the overall score of the weapon system (had this one sample performed like the others it would have finished at the top of the pack) and numerous barrels were replaced on the M4s to complete the 6,000 round test. When presented with these reliability numbers the Army was quick to down play the significance of the results, stating that these tests were conducted in extreme conditions that did not address “reliability in typical operational conditions” and that “everybody in the Army has high confidence in their weapon.” However, this is not what knowledgeable users are saying to this author and SAR.

Easy Answer? Not So.

From all of this modern carbine/rifle technology to choose from, developed at a cost to the US taxpayer of reportedly $70M or more ($20M SCAR, $50M XM8, zero dollars for HK416), surely the US Army could select the best available carbine for our troops and get that to the field before the shooting is over. They could but one problem remains: there is no requirement for a new carbine, or even meaningful incremental carbine enhancements. The term incremental can be defined as the 75% or “90% solution” versus the fanciful so-called “leap ahead” or “100% solution” we in this country too often pursue while all but ignoring available and affordable incremental upgrades and enhancements offered off-the-shelf by industry. This writer is not talking about accessorizing existing platforms, such as the addition of different butt stocks, rail systems, sights and the like. We have done that with some success over the years with flat top receivers and modular rail systems. While this enhances the use of the weapon for the operator, it does nothing to address the basic function or performance of the operating system, weapon integrity, function, safety and/or operator upkeep.

While the users on the ground surely would welcome a new carbine with the enhanced capabilities now and very soon to be in use in US Special Operations units, the official procurement process starts with a properly formulated and approved Requirements Document. In the US Army this begins within the lead proponent for small arms, the US Army Infantry Center at Fort Benning, Georgia. The USAIC, as mentioned earlier, is in the throngs of their CBA to determine where they want to be in 5-10 years with US Army small arms. Shall they field a new conventional carbine in 5.56mm? Should they leverage the polymer or caseless technology being explored in the current JSSAP LSAT program? Should the new suite of US Army small arms include air-bursting, or counter defilade technology, a technology that the US Army has invested deeply in over the past years to the tune of more than $377 million for the OICW/XM25 and XM307 Advanced Crew Served Weapon programs?

Strategic Pause?

Thus, without a formal requirement for anything new, the US Army continues to procure M4 Carbines and plans to do so up until at least June 2009 when the current M4 contract expires, at the tune of up to $375 million on a sole source basis without evaluating other current COTS weapons. The US Army states clearly that the M4 meets current US Army carbine specifications; and it does. There is no argument to that point. Colt is building for the US Army the carbine they have asked for and has on multiple occasions proffered to the Army various enhancements to the weapon, most of which were not accepted as they were not required in the weapon specs. However those specifications were written more than two decades ago based on the then current performance of the M16A1/A2, long before the advent of the modern op rod AR, the unibody extruded aluminum receiver of the SCAR, or the highly modular and user configurable design of a modern weapon like the XM8.

The Smoking Gun: Soldier Perspectives on Small Arms in Combat

One has to question the wisdom of not leveraging the incremental improvements that the current modern crop of assault rifles offers the end user. This point is especially driven home when one reads the US Army sponsored, Center for Naval Analysis conducted survey of 2,600 soldiers that had returned within the previous 12 months from Afghanistan and Iraq and had engaged in a firefight using the M9, M4, M16 (A2 or A4), or M249 during their last deployment. While the majority (75%) expressed overall satisfaction with their current rifle or carbine, few had ever seen and literally none have used a SCAR-L, XM8 or the HK416 or anything of a more recent design. Their frame of reference is thus limited to only what they know and have seen first hand. Given a shorter and lighter carbine with adjustable length butt stock versus the longer, heavier M16 with fixed stock; who would not welcome that, especially when fighting from vehicles and in the urban environment? Surely then the M4 would get high marks when that question is asked; which do you like better? The real test would be to offer the soldier a look at and chance to handle the more modern COTS carbines developed in the past 10 years like those described above. Surely the results of such a survey would be far different. Why not field one or more of these proven, modern carbines in a combat unit, say to a company or battalion as we have done with the Land Warrior ensemble, and then let them tell Army leadership where to spend our precious small arms procurement dollars?

What has not been widely reported from this US Army sponsored study is that, quoting from page 17 of this report, the “Percentage of soldiers who report experiencing a stoppage while engaging the enemy” was 19% for both the M16 and M4 (26% and 30% for the M9 and M249 respectively). The report goes on to state that, “A large impact means the soldier was unable to engage the target with that weapon during a significant portion of or the entire firefight after performing immediate or remedial action to clear the stoppage” (author’s emphasis added). 18% of these same soldiers stated that they were unable to clear that stoppage and get the weapon running again during the course of that engagement with the M4, 20% with the M16, 38% with the M9 and an astonishing 41% with the M249. Nearly one fifth to almost one half of the unit was “out of the fight” due to serious malfunctions in their basic weapon. These are the statistics taken right from the US Army’s own report. When questioned, US Army officials were quick to blame poor soldier maintenance for the stoppages. Sadly, we have seen this tactic used before with early AR-15s in Vietnam and more recently with the British Marines and their SA80A2’s in Operation Iraqi Freedom; blaming the war fighter for the inherent shortcomings of the weapon system.

One can then see a direct correlation between operational reports from these 494 combat soldiers surveyed who reported poor reliability to the extent of complete failure to operate during the heat of battle and the recent poor results of the same weapons in the Extreme Sand/Dust Tests described above, results that some in the Army are saying are acceptable. It is certain that those 494 brave men and women were not so satisfied with the weapon when it was useless in their hands with the enemy all around.

One then must ask why our most elite units are not using the same standard issue rifles or carbines as used by our conventional forces and instead have sought out, tested, and have fielded with great success weapons like HK416, and soon SCAR, the USSOCOM MK46 and MK48 machine guns, the MK43, and every type of handgun imaginable except the US M9?

Not the Last Word

As reported last year by this writer, this subject is far from over. Congress is involved and is drafting new legislation to persuade the US Army to consider incremental and commercially available small arms, and ammunition enhancements, both of which can and would make a big difference on the battlefield for the solider, every solider, not just our most elite warriors. In fact, on page 29 of the CNA survey referenced above, and I quote, “Twenty-six percent of M9 users requested higher caliber ammunition and increased stopping power. M4 and M16 users echoed this recommendation. When speaking to experts and soldiers on site, many commented on the limited ability to effectively stop targets, saying that those personnel targets who were shot multiple times were still able to continue pursuit” (author’s emphasis added). Soldiers are asking for more reliable weapons and more capable, more lethal bullets and ammunition yet we continue to buy thousands more of the same small arms and millions more of the same cartridges to feed them. Is it a matter of money? Is it simply too expensive to field enhanced small arms and ammunition?

The Flawed Cost Argument

The current unit costs on the current contract for carbines, and the wealth of defense spending on programs like the Joint Strike Fighter ($4.2 billion) for R&D alone, or the Army Future Combat System (FCS) which in the current defense budget received $3.2 billion for R&D, places the modern and advantageous weapons like HK416 and SCAR, and enhanced ammunition types like improved “blind to barrier” bullets and medium caliber rifle cartridges, well within reach for all US military personnel. For the $430 million dollars spent since 1980 on so-called “leap ahead” small arms programs, from which no single weapon or new round of ammunition has been fielded, we could have fielded more than a quarter million new 5.56mm or 7.62mm SCAR rifles at $1,800 each, or 358,000 new XM8s or HK416s in the more lethal 6.8x43mm SPC caliber at around $1,200 a pop. (For comparison, the 2005 contract price for an M4 was $980, $836 in 2007). However the internal bureaucracy and strong institutional resistance to field something new in the way of a modern carbine and/or rifle, anything new that is available today not in 2010 or beyond, and has been proven by other users (and in the Army’s own tests) to be incrementally better and easily integrated into the forward deployed units, is both hugely perplexing and mind numbing to this writer and many others in the community.

The Bottom Line

There should not be a single day that any US serviceman or servicewoman steps off a truck, aircraft or ship without the very best small arms technology America can provide. That technology exists today. The funds for its purchase, fielding and sustainment are obviously available and are being spent, but on decades old technology. This issue is critically important as we lose personnel in combat every single day and any advantage, even one that is ever so minor, may improve the odds of both user survival and ultimately mission success. Our weapons should be the most reliable, hard hitting and user friendly weapons on the face of this round globe yet they are not, and we should be ashamed as a result. Our fleet of small arms is old and showing their age.

Aging Fleet of Old Warriors

The average age of our eight top “work horse” weapons from the M9 to the MK19 is 33 years, 25 years if you remove the oldest- the M2HB- 23 years without the M2HB and M203 and still 21 years old with the oldest three removed from the average. If our computers, vehicles, night fighting capability, body armor, rations or medical equipment were from the same era as that of our most recently adopted small arms (mid-1980s), our forces would be hard pressed to perform on today’s modern battlefield as they have so stunningly performed during OEF/OIF. With a few exceptions, such as the new M110 SASS or M107 sniper systems, we have not fielded any new small arms designs since the mid 1980s. Again, not just for our most elite warriors in units that we do not discuss in print, but for every Soldier, Airman, Marine, Seaman, Coastguardsman and Special Operator. Anything less is a sad compromise – a compromise that we are making today and a compromise that costs lives.

The German Success Story

Even the German military, who’s annual defense budget spending figure of EUR 29.31 billion (GDP 1.3%) is far below that of the US ($42.8 billion) and below many neighboring countries in Europe (GDP 2.0%) have since 1995 replaced nearly every one of their small arms, have added numerous new calibers and capabilities they had not possessed previously. Because of this successful incremental fielding approach, the German military has the most capable set of military small arms in the free world today. In new improved small arms they have fielded no less that six since 1995 to include handguns, rifles/carbines and sniper rifles, and are working on at least three more that this writer is aware of, a new 4.6mm handgun, lightweight 7.62mm machine gun and improved .50 caliber heavy machine gun. Nine new capabilities have been added to the German small arms arsenal also since 1995 and include the first general-issue Personal Defense Weapon within NATO, a 5.56mm LMG, .300 Win Mag and .50 BMG sniper rifles and two 40mm grenade launchers, both under barrel and 40x53mm belt-fed versions. No less than six new calibers have also been fielded within the German military in the last 10 years to include brand new high performance cartridges like the 4.6x30mm PDW round. While the Germans continue to investigate advanced technology with R&D funding, they have not forgotten their soldiers fighting on today’s battlefields and have applied the “90% solution” by fielding incrementally superior small arms and capabilities. The same can be said to a lesser degree for other NATO countries like Britain, Spain, Norway, Canada and others. Let us also not forget the substantial efforts of potential threat countries as well in their development and fielding of incrementally superior small arms.

Officially, the conventional side of the US Army has not tested a single one of these COTS German weapons for possible US adoption, not one, yet many (no less than four) are in use by select US Special Operations units over those standard US issue weapons available from US military stores and which are in fact comparable in cost or less expensive than the US equivalent.

The Consequences of Failing to Act

A highly decorated US Army Special Forces senior NCO recently stated as part of this debate, “Most of the boots on the ground in OEF/OIF will be the first to tell you that the enemy has no respect for our war fighters in a head-to-head confrontation while maneuvering with his individual weapon (M16/M4). An enemy who does not respect a Soldier’s ability to deliver pain or death will always bring the fight directly to the Soldier, at belt buckle distance.”

We would like to urge everyone to get involved in this, and help our service members to get the best weapons possible. They deserve our united support. Write your elected officials on Capitol Hill. Write the US Army and Defense Department leadership. Demand that we first test then field the best commercially available weapons and ammunition that industry offers today to all of our war fighters and that we do it now, not 5-10 years down the road.

By Jim Schatz

Each year, as the air turns cool in the Washington, DC metro area and the trees that line the banks of the Potomac River begin to turn to color, the Army rallies for the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition held in 2007 from October 8-10 at the Washington Convention Center. This year’s event was larger than any before it and is, as always, an excellent opportunity to see the latest military equipment on display from around the world; not to mention the small arms – the real focus of this report

Protestors

As one arrived at the site of the show, the AUSA banners flew high and proudly from the tall buildings in downtown DC. The day was clear and sunny, a perfect day for such an event and folks were in high spirits as they made their way to the convention center by taxi, the Metro and on foot. However, this feeling of slight elation was dampened by the chanting and insulting signs of anti-war/anti-America protestors roaming outside of the center and harassing the visitors and denigrating the soldiers and contractors entering the facility. Waving their “blood” stained hands in the faces of the attendees and harassing our brave men and women warriors making their way inside, one could not help but wonder if they realize that their very right to protest, to spout their anti-freedom rantings, has and was paid for with the blood of so many courageous military men and women who have sacrificed so unselfishly and so dearly for our freedoms. To their great credit, the proud and disciplined soldiers in uniform were seemingly not enraged by the actions and mindless rantings of the protestors.

Quietly and Professionally

The mood inside the building was positive, electric in a way and yet reserved. The “surge” in Iraq is clearly working. Civilian and U.S. military deaths are down and insurgent deaths are up. The Army has once again, as it has always done quietly and professionally, performed at its very best for America and for the Iraqi citizens who maybe do not yet realize fully what freedom, independence and a true self governing country is.

The Army gathers each year at the annual AUSA Meeting to celebrate its successes, recognize its heroes and in many quiet ways morn its irreplaceable loses. In 2007, there was much work to be done in all these areas.

The big news on the show floor, besides the hum about troop withdrawals and the success of the surge and the meeting and greeting of old friends and comrades in arms, was the then very recent announcement of the sizable contract awards for new armored vehicles called MRAP. The MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protection) translates to highly mobile but equally protected wheeled vehicles to provide improved protection against IEDs and RPGs. More than 6,400 RG31 MK5 MRAPs have been ordered thus far for the Army alone from just one of numerous vendor teams, BAE Systems through its partnership with General Dynamics Land Systems, while another 600 MK5Es, an extended version of the RG31, have been ordered on a separate $135 million dollar contract for the U.S. Marine Corps. These are huge contracts with the biggest defense contractors in the world. The show floor was awash with armored vehicles of all shapes, sizes and even colors (yes, there was one in British SAS desert “pink” as well). The MRAPs have proven highly effective in countering modern ballistics threats with U.S. and coalition forces. They have and will continue to save lives on the battlefields wherever they are deployed. Most countries involved in OEF/OIF are buying into them at the moment.

AAI
(www.aaicorp.com)

The U.S. Army’s LSAT (Lightweight Small Arms Technology) demonstrator program continues with further success with both its Cased Telescoped (CT) and Caseless Telescoped (CL) ammunition types. AAI reps reported that to date 6,000 rounds of CT ammunition have been fired in the LSAT LMG prototype 001 with prototype 002 testing to begin shortly. Various successful live-fire demonstrations had been conducted for U.S. Army officials at Fort Benning and elsewhere. The caseless ammunition firing weapon is further behind and is challenging the designers to solve the tough-nut chamber sealing issue that haunts all auto-loading caseless ammunition firing small arms. Reportedly, the firing mechanism is in final development with a two-part expanding chamber design similar to that of the ill-fated H&K G11 Rifle.

Thus far, 100 rounds of the rectangular DNAG G11-style ammunition, the basis for the LSAT caseless ammunition, have been fired on test fixtures only. The first cylindrical LSAT caseless ammunition was expected to be completed by end of CY07.

While still clearly in the early R&D stages of development, the LSAT program offers scalable technology that can be applied to other types of small arms such as 7.62mm rifles and machine guns. LSAT offers 35-50% system (weapon, links, ammo) weight savings, but only if system durability and soldier ruggedness can be assured. Watch this program carefully. Put your money on the CT ammo.

Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Inc.
(www.barrettrifles.com)

The big news at the Barrett booth this year was their 240LW, an in-house development to reduce the overall weight of the U.S. M240 GPMG. The Barrett 240LW (LW for Light Weight) employs a fluted barrel and one-piece CNC machined steel receiver. Offering a weight reduction of 5.5 pounds, this brings the outstanding reliability of the otherwise heavy M240 machine gun into a more portable, maneuverable weight range of 21.5 pounds, and along the lines of lighter GPMGs like the M60 and HK21E, without the need to employ more exotic materials with questionable durability. While there is no official program for this Barrett-funded creation, one can only wonder, “Why not?” Barrett also announced at AUSA that the “BORS” (Barrett Optical Ranging System) is now available for commercial sale at $1,500 each with mount; $2,700 with the L&S MKIV telescopic sight.

Beretta Law Enforcement and Defense Group
(www.BerettaLE.com)

Beretta Firearms Company may be the longest running small arms exhibitor at the AUSA event, continuously supporting the U.S. Army Annual Meeting for more than 23 years. The newest product on display at the Beretta booth this year was the new Px4 Storm Subcompact Pistol. Available in calibers 9x19mm Luger and .40 S&W, the Px4 Subcompact, with 3-inch barrel, weighs only 26 ounces and holds an impressive number of cartridges (thirteen 9mm rounds or ten .40 S&W rounds) for such adiminutive pistol.

Colt Defense, LLC
(www.colt.com)

This year Colt came to the AUSA Show to impress the attendees with new and long awaited developments in the M4 family of weapons. This includes the open public display (and even disassembly) of thehighly secretive M5 Advanced Military Carbine with piston operated gas system, Colt’s new patented aluminum rail system offering 100% return to zero capability and redesigned front sight assembly. Other unique features include barrel heat sink and airflow grooves to help cool a hot barrel and reduce the occurrence of cook off. Colt claims the new op rod M4 has fired over 12,000 rounds without cleaning or stoppages. It is even fitted with proprietary drain system to allow for over-thebeach use wherein the operator can safely fire the weapon without the need to first fully drain water from the interior of the weapon.

In addition to the Colt LE1020 Law Enforcement Carbine with piston operated gas system, Colt representatives were also showing SLA models of various prototype folding stocks for use with the M4 and M5 Carbines to reduce the overall length of the weapon to compact PDW size. The Colt 5.56mm PDW, as it was being referred to, sports a 10.3-inch barrel, new buffer and spring built into the back of the bolt carrier, 3-position QD sling attachment points and LaserMax vertical foregrip with green aiming laser. Firing at 700-900 rounds per minute, the Colt 5.56mm PDW stands ready for the release of the long rumored requirement from the U.S. Army for a rifle-caliber Personal Defense Weapon. At the time of writing, little additional information was available on any such release by the U.S. Army for such a weapon. However, according to sources within PEO Soldier, this requirement is still being written by the user proponent.

FNH U.S.A, LLC
(www.fnhusa.com)

The big news at the FN booth was, of course, SCAR. If reports from both company representatives and from U.S. officials are correct, the SCAR Light and Heavy models and the 40mm EGLM grenade launcher could enter series production as early as March 2008. Reportedly production, fielding and logistical funds have been programmed for full SCAR (12-16 thousand units) and EGLM fielding within USSOCOM once the full production Milestone C decision is made. This is expected to come after the final Operational Test (OT) report is completed and reviewed. At the time of writing, the USSOCOM was finishing up the last of the OT phases with U.S. Army Rangers and Special Forces, U.S. Navy SEALs and U.S. Marine Corps MARSOC personnel. One interesting note was that the BOI (Basis of Issue), which was originally heavy on the SCAR-L (5.56x45mm NATO) side, has now been revamped and it shifted to the SCAR-H (7.62x51mm NATO) variants at the request of the user community. Maybe someone in the SOF world knows something we don’t? An 85% commonality of parts between the SCAR-L and SCAR-H certainly will help to reduce the logistical burden on the organization, especially when one considers just how many different weapons the SCAR family will eventually replace.

The SCAR-L was also involved in the congressionally mandated Extreme Sand/Dust Tests at Aberdeen in 2007 wherein it competed against its potential rivals in the U.S. DoD rifle market. This included the XM8, HK416 and Colt M4. Reportedly, the SCAR-L completed the test with good results but not before a change in the lubrication cycle was required to insure reliable function and test completion. The op rod SCAR-L did reportedly finish ahead of the direct gas operated M4 along with the other two operating rod carbines tested.

General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products
(www.gdatp.com)

(GD) announced that the .50 caliber XM312 is now a separate effort split from the Army’s Future Combat System program and has received some close attention from the U.S. Army and USSOCOM recently for potential replacement of the venerable M2HB heavy machine gun. The XM312 has been modified to accept the standard U.S. M9 disintegrating metal link belt common to the U.S. M2HB. Due to the light weight and reduced recoil of the XM312, it can be mounted and employed anywhere a 7.62x51mm M240 GPMG can be used. Under the current schedule, Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) of the XM312 is anticipated to begin in 2010 with full production to begin in 2011.

GD representatives also stated that M2HB and MK19 production is “maxed out” at the moment with series production ramped up to meet U.S. and foreign friendly requirements. Approximately 1,800 to over 2,000 of each will have been procured during CY07.

NAMMO
(www.nammo.com)

If you want to witness ammunition and ordnance perfection and innovation, the NAMMO booth at AUSA is the one to visit. Makers of some of the finest high performance small arms ammunition in the world, to include the armor piercing M995 (5.56x45mm NATO) and M993 (7.62x51mm NATO) rounds, they also have an IR Tracer round now in final U.S. Navy qualification testing for use with passive night vision devices. Most notably the progress of the preprogrammed air bursting 40x53mm HV ammunition for the U.S. MK47 Striker ALGL (Advanced Lightweight Grenade Launder) is now in final type classification in the U.S. 90,000 rounds will have been delivered to the USSOCOM by December 2007 for combat evaluations by USSOCOM and other U.S. Army units.

Night Vision Systems
(www.nightvisionsystems.com)

NVS had on display the clip-on Knight’s Armament Company Universal Night Scope Thermal (UNST), or model M890. The maker claims this small 23-ounce device, mounted forward of a variety of optical and reflex sights, can provide human target detection up to 1,000 meters. The UNST can be quickly detached via the throw lever mount, fits on most any rifle or scope and can even be used in a hand held mode when detached.

ST Kinetics
(www.stengg.com)

Singapore based ST Kinetics had on display in their booth a series production sample of their new Air Bursting Modular System (ABMS) for any 40x53mm grenade machine guns. This bolt-on system can be added to the weapon in minutes by the operator and allows for the use of preprogrammed air bursting ammunition to attack targets hidden behind cover, in the defilade, using their quick attach Fire Control System. Using time-of-flight technology, the ABMS ammunition contains 300 tungsten balls within its warhead and costs approximately $350-400 each. Each round has a self-destruct feature and when programmed for air burst will detonate 2 meters above the target and at any location before or after a barrier as determined by the gunner. The ammunition programming “coil” attaches to the muzzle of the grenade launcher and therefore requires no permanent modification to the host weapon. The entire system costs $50,000 at this time. ST Kinetics is also currently working on a 40x46mm LV air burst system as well.

Part 2 of the 2007 AU.S.A Show Report appears in the next issue of SAR and covers current U.S. Army small arms programs and the results of the recent U.S. Army Extreme Carbine Sand/Dust Tests.

The AUSA (Association of the United States Army) holds its annual meeting every year during the fall in Washington DC., except for the one in 2001 which was abruptly canceled. It seems most of the attendees were suddenly busy overseas with the opening shots in the War on Terror. The meeting has been held at the Washington Convention Center every October for the last three years. The DC Convention center is the only place in the District area that’s both big enough, and secure enough, to hold the meeting: particularly the display hall. This is the 51st annual meeting of the AUSA. This year more than 30,000 members and guests attended the exposition and meetings. It is a very significant event, both for the Army and for the public that it serves.

The Washington Convention Center is not just a large but is also a convenient location for the AUSA annual meeting. It is located northwest of the US Capitol Building, at Mount Vernon Square/7th Street. With a Metro station literally at the door, the Yellow and Green lines of the subway make the Center very easy to get to from the entire DC metropolitan area. The maps that are given out at the registration booths show the full exhibit area, a complete schedule of events, and a map of the surrounding DC area showing hotels, restaurants, and the Metro lines.

Few other military shows can boast being larger than the AUSA annual convention and none of those are in this country. Outside of a military base, no other displays will show more or bigger hardware. When General Dynamics wants to show off one of their premier products, they just bring in a fully functional Abrams main battle tank right from the line. One year, the tank inside the display area had been on a hot range only a few days earlier – the bomb dogs loved it.

If you think something the size of a modern battle tank might stand out in an indoor display, think again. There were 130 displays from Army units and organizations, as well as more than 400 industrial displays from representatives from the United States as well as more than a dozen countries from around the world. The AUSA show occupied more than 450,000 square feet. The exhibits covered nearly a quarter-million square feet of space all on their own. Not only were all of the major weapon systems used by the Army represented in the exhibits, so was the bulk of the ancillary equipment, from uniforms, ammunition, communications, vehicles, food and water. Even the Chaplain Service was well represented. Unless you’re over in the Sandbox or the Rockpile, AUSA is probably the only place you will ever see a Field Communion Kit, packed for field carry in its fitted web gear.

Besides just the general run-of-the-mill weapons and equipment (there is such a thing?), both futuristic prototypes as well as historical displays were available for viewing, in many cases in a hands-on presentation. This is a very prestigious show. Moving through the aisles will have you literally rubbing shoulders with four-star generals. Back in the 1980s, President Reagan was a luncheon speaker at the AUSA Convention, and he has hardly been the only President to attend. Manufacturers and industry representatives seem to try to outdo themselves every year with bigger and better displays, bringing out their very best and showing it to its maximum advantage.

The AUSA annual meeting does a great deal more than just give defense industry representatives a place to show their goods. The many conferences, seminars, and presentations at the event make it a significant professional development opportunity for the career soldier. The Annual Meeting delivers the Army’s message, this year being a Call to Duty – 230 years of service to the nation. The exhibition area also showcases the capabilities of the organizations that make up the Army as a whole.

This year’s meeting came at the end of this country’s fourth year in the global war on terrorism. The intensity and commitment of the Army’s service men and women can be clearly seen on the faces of the many of them who attend the meeting. Walking through the halls and areas of the Convention Center, you see representatives of all of the Army’s major commands, and organizations, sometimes both past and present. Walking through the exhibition area it is not out of the ordinary to see the pleasure in the face of a veteran of such units as the 82nd Airborne or the Big Red One when he meets a young soldier who is now serving in his old unit. And that soldier carries forward the pride of the veteran in his service in Afghanistan, Iraq, and all around the globe.

Information on the Army, its present actions, and its recent as well as past history, are available just by taking the time to stop and watch. Presentations are constantly being given on the exhibition floor while the area is open. Multi-media shows back up the talks given by the soldiers who have “been there and done that.” And these are also the people who use the hardware, materials, and services that are showing all around them.

The Exhibition Area

The industry displays are the heart of the exhibition area, and they are well worth the work involved in getting to the meeting. All of the major companies, and more than a few of the smaller ones, are around the floor. General Dynamics, AMC, Bell Helicopter Textron, Heckler and Koch, FN, Colt, Alliant Tech, AAI, Glock and more show weapons systems ranging from small arms to artillery, armored vehicles, and aircraft. The Army organizations also show their materials and capabilities. One particular area that should be pointed out is the Army PEO (Program Executive Office Soldier) display pavilion. It is probably the single most interesting and wide ranging display pavilion in the exhibit area. The PEO office is tasked with the mission to develop, acquire, field, and sustain everything the soldier wears, carries, and operates with. It is a huge organization with a very large field of interests. At the PEO website (www.peosoldier.army.mil) you can read the details about the organization, its divisions, and the equipment they are responsible for. But reading about it is not the same as a hands-on examination of the material. It is at the AUSA exhibition that the individual can do that close up and personal look at some of the gear that only exists in experimental or prototype forms.

Most of the materials and services on display in the exhibition hall were not the sorts of things you could expect to buy privately. Some would be on sale to the public eventually, such as the 7.62x51mm drum magazine from the Beta Company. But most would never see a gun shop showroom. That doesn’t mean an attendee would have to leave empty-handed. Almost every single piece of material in the hall, from single rounds of ammunition to massive trucks and armored personnel carriers, had literature available to explain, give technical details, or just describe them. These pass-out documents could range from a simple single-sheet on a particular item, to full company catalogs – printed or on DVD, of a company’s entire line of products and services. Most of the military organizations at the exhibition followed suit with their own literature.

Just one organization, the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command (USAMRMC) had an entire book of several hundred pages available that detailed each item they had in use or under development. And in the big tent-covered display, USAMRMC were showing examples of many of the items in the book – from a new style of efficient bandage to the latest vaccines and pain killers.

Dillon Aero Inc. had their miniguns and mounts on the floor, as well as a catalog listing their upgrade services, parts, and accessories. They don’t just make reloading machines. Ammunition, the feed devices to carry the ammunition, and the web gear to carry the feed devices, could be seen, sometimes handled, and almost always read about. Designers and developers, engineers and salespeople, were on hand to explain what could be seen by attendees. Entire lines of ammunition of all calibers were shown by the manufacturers. Producing companies from as far away as Norway, Sweden, South Korea, and Singapore had tables, cabinets, and racks of rounds ranging from 5.56mm to 240mm cannon shells. Many of the displays included cutaways of the ammunition and fuzes, showing not just what the rounds were but how they worked. Full ranges of color codes, and what they all meant, were sitting behind glass.

Simulation systems, ranging from an enclosed live-firing range with Simunition-fitted weapons to tank main gun training devices, showed the new methods of training today’s warfighter. It could be startling for an attendee to be walking down an aisle and suddenly hear the subdued blast of a 120mm Abrams gun firing, immediately followed by the mechanical sounds of reloading and the cry “Up!” indicating another shot was ready to go. Once you saw the simulator, which was the entire turret of an Abrams sitting on the floor, you at least understood that it wasn’t an attendee’s reaction to the parking situation in DC. The armed Humvee inside a tent-like booth allowed soldiers to actively engage the enemy attacking them, learning how to repel an ambush without costing lives or putting out live rounds. These are among the means that make the United Stated fighting man unequaled in the world.

The hardware and training to use it were not the only subjects covered by the industrial representatives at AUSA. Maintenance was not forgotten. Tools, diagnostic equipment, shelters, even wreckers capable of moving a broken-down main battle tank were spread out for close examination. Otis Products had a large display showing their wide range of excellent cleaning kits, several of them being present military issue. Once a weapon was clean, it had to be lubricated. Adaptive Molecular Technologies had their product on display, not that it would be known by that name, Militec-1 is a very popular and successful synthetic weapons lubricant, so highly thought of that soldiers would spend their own money to purchase it. But the people who make Militec-1 are long-time supporters of AUSA and they were doing a land-office business passing out samples of their product. The bottles of lube were well received by soldiers, many of whom were soon to return to the combat zone.

Black Tie Finale

The last major event of the AUSA meeting is a Wednesday evening black-tie formal affair: the George Catlett Marshall Memorial Reception and Dinner. These are two separate affairs, the dinner following the reception and require purchased tickets, something that sells out very quickly which shows the popularity of the event. Black-tie requires formal evening dress for civilian men and the women and, for military guests, full Mess Dress uniform. Not something you see everyday, even in Washington. For everyone attending, it can be an education in military style and due to the wide variety of foreign dress uniforms, the reception can be a startling view.

The exhibit area closes early on Wednesday so that the representatives can prepare themselves and the booths for the incoming guests. A separate ticket is required for the reception and the later dinner, and the one for the reception is well worth the price. This is the evening when the exhibitors and the AUSA staff put on a show for their guests. Entertainment is offered that ranged from military singers, a country western band, and even a ventriloquist in an evening gown. In all, the reception and the formal dinner following it made for a very interesting conclusion to a unique military event.

Admission Policy

The AUSA annual meeting and exposition is a private affair and not open to the general public. Admittance is limited to AUSA members, members and civilian employees of the U.S. Armed Forces, designated representatives of member and exhibitor companies, invited guests of the Association, and those who have an identifiable relationship with the U.S. Army. It is not difficult to join the Association and www.ausa.org is the website of the AUSA and it invites concerned citizens as well as all of the above to join them in AUSA membership. The annual meeting dates for 2006 are 9-11 October, once again in the Washington D.C. Convention center.