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The leathernecks are experimenting to give their answers

They say 2 four-man Fire Teams with 3 M-16s and a single automatic rifle (fully automatic fire as opposed to burst fire on the M-16A2; provides base of fire) and 1 four-man Machine Gun Fire Team with 3 SAWs, plus the squad leader makes sense for them.

They feel removing the SAW from the fire team and replacing it with an automatic rifle makes the fire team more agile and mobile for the assault, while consolidating the SAWs within a squad-level machine gun team provides the squad with more robust high-volume cover fire.

They say the downside is that when the SAW team isn't supporting the rest of the squad but instead assuming the rapid assault role itself the team is slow and sluggish given all the heavy gear it carries. They need to pickup M-16s themselves at that point, they say.

At the same time they play around with the the concept of a SAW-equipped Machine Gun Section with 9 SAWs within a rifle platoon as a way to provide a rifle company with concentrated, high-volume but maneuverable covering fire.

Link below.

http://www.mca-marines.org/Gazette/2004/04eby2.html


Edited by - ViperTTB on Jul 01 2004 8:02 PM

It really depends on the mission. There is no one 'best' mix of squad weaponry. What's 'best' is dictated by the terrain, ROE, and types of enemy targets expected.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction"

Ronald Reagan

good point