Quote:
Originally Posted by Nyles
You are talking about the best-equipped military in the world (in quantity if not always quality).
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Of course we can't compete with the
quality of the Canadians
But back to the OP's question.
I am NOT in Iraq (obviously) but I know a lot of guys who are.
1) There is no way that U.S. soldiers are running out of guns. That is just ridiculous. Who said this? Teenagers from Europe?
Also U.S. Soldiers are not authorized to pick up and use foreign weapons except in times of absolute necessity (i.e. in an active firefight you grab whatever you can that works and that has ammunition) or specific operational doctrine (like training Iraqi army). Currently soldiers have a wide leeway as to the customization of their weapons (i.e. aftermarket scopes, sights, rigs, etc.) but the general weapon must be serviceable by the company armorer (and I mean military, not movie). Snipers are given a wide leeway in what sniper rifles they can use, but there are limits. Models must be approved for use which is why you can see anything from an M40 to a Barrett M82A1 or a Cheytac or a TAC-50, but you probably won't see really oddball or commercial hunting rifles. I always wondered if the army would EVER let a sniper or designated marksman use an Mosin Nagant M91/30 Sniper with PU scope in the field, just to see how they fare....
2) Elite units have a different doctrine. NAVY SEALS and others in the mountains of Afghanistan have used indigenous weapons, as have other elite units in other wars.
Hope this helps.
BTW: nice AKM pic. What site is that from?