Guido Rossi
While it is generally true that amateurs talk tactics and professionals talk logistics, ammunition calibers is a point where the two levels of conversation meet. The adoption of a new service rifle by a branch of the US military can appear to be a topic just for grunts and gun enthusiasts. However, even minute technical aspects can suddenly acquire great importance when they concern the largest branch of the world’s most powerful military. From a deeper analytical point of view, the adoption of a new individual service weapon that utilizes a new cartridge can have profound consequences at the tactical and even operational levels. In fact, an effective weapon can make the difference between life and death for the individual soldier on the battlefield and determine success or failure for small-level units to achieve their objectives. In a snowballing fashion, tactical units’ ineffectiveness can compound to make larger units also less effective, gradually making their effects heard at the operational and even strategic levels. Logistics directly impact strategy, and the switch to a different round by the US Army affects the interoperability among the branches for combined operations and among NATO partners for joint operations. Moreover, the adoption of the M7 rifle and its unique cartridge is also a window into the procurement system of the US Military and invites reflection on how conservatism and innovation – often at odds in military culture – need to balance each other out. Most importantly, conversations over battle rifle designs and calibers are actually debates over what warfare might look like in the future and how to tackle new challenges.
In May 2025, the US Army dropped the experimental “X” designator for its newly adopted service rifle in 6.8x51mm. This signaled one more step toward its adoption for the entire branch after its selection in April 2022 during the Next Generation Squad Weapons Program (NGSW). Started in 2017, the NGSW program represented yet another attempt by the US Army to replace the 5.56 NATO caliber M4A1 carbine – the individual rifle currently in widespread service with most units. This program, in turn, was part of the never-ending quest by the US Army to find the “best” armament capable of ensuring firepower, lethality, and allowing for the optimal organization of its units from fire-teams to armies. This constant pursuit of the perfect weaponry is the same impulse that led to the adoption of the M-1 rifle in 1936, the decision to retain a large-caliber rifle in 1957 with the M-14, and, in 1965, the selection of the smaller-caliber M16 rifle, of which the currently serving M4A1 carbine is a descendant. Some of these choices proved wise moves that made the US military a more lethal force. Others proved blunders that cost money and lives. The US Army and potentially the entire US military may make another similar decision that could have momentous consequences well beyond the tactical realm.
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