Has anyone considered what will happen to the combat effectiveness of that Soldier if his weapon is destroyed?

It is common practice for members of U.S. Army Special Forces detachments, elite counter-terrorist units, and Navy SEALs to carry at least the issue M9 9mm Beretta pistol in holsters by their sides to serve as a backup in case their main shoulder weapons are rendered inoperable.

The common sense answer is to issue one of the thousand M9 Beretta 9mm pistols the Army owns to each of its Soldiers likely to be sent into a city fight -- the Rangers. In fact, looking closely at the Rangers in the Discovery Channel documentary, there is a 120mm heavy mortar team, and one of them is wearing a M9 Beretta 9mm pistol in a standard M12 G.I. Bianchi(c) holster. So the 75th Ranger Regiment must have some pistols somewhere in its Table of Organization and Equipment (TOE).

The pistol in a city fight would also enable a Ranger to engage and stop an enemy who charges him as he changes his shoulder weapon's magazines. If he needs a hand free to throw a stun grenade, or if his shoulder weapon is slung as he climbs a rope, he can unholster the pistol more rapidly with one hand and use it against an enemy. Certainly we wouldn't expect him to let go of the rope and fall trying to reach for his carbine. The M9 Beretta has a lanyard loop which a piece of Type III nylon cord ("550 parachute cord") can be routed through to make a wrist lanyard loop that would go around the firing wrist to prevent dropping the pistol if the grip is relaxed for any reason.

These M9 pistols could initially be fielded in their issue holsters, but for use in Close Quarter Battle (CQB), small organizations like the 75th Ranger Regiment should buy a commercial off-the-shelf low-riding leg holster for faster access in a fight as well as better interface with the Ranger Body Armor (RBA). As time goes on, small infared aiming lights can be added to the pistol grip or the lower pistol receiver frame to project an aiming dot seen by either the naked eye or just through AN/PVS-7B Night Vision Goggles (NVGs).

Once fielded, these pistols need to be integrated into tactical CQB training. At least one Ranger per squad should have the pistol, preferably the point man throwing the stun grenades into the room BEFORE the team enters/clears. In training, ALL Rangers should be equipped with pistols in case they become "point". An evaluator moving with the team during room clearing could call out to the Ranger that his shoulder weapon inoperable, requiring him to finish the exercise using the pistol. Blank rounds do exist for pistols, though dry-firing could suffice. Soldiers must be ready to switch to the pistol whenever the situation calls for its use, and only constant training can produce this readiness.

This training should include the smooth, safe, and technically efficient presentation of the pistol from the holster in various situations, as is standard training for elite police counter-terrorist units that "fight" in cities daily.

The point of contact in the urban fight is often the individual Ranger. We need to issue the side arm and incorporate it into our Ranger CQB training and tactics.

OTHER APPLICATIONS...

REFERENCES:

http://155.217.58.58/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/fm/23-35/fm23-35.htm

itsg@hotmail.com

An experienced Light Infantry NCO writes:

"1. ALL Rangers should have a pistol and 2 spare mags. Additionally, ALL "troop leaders" (team leader and above, including leading NCOs) in ALL infantry units should have a pistol and at least 1 spare mag. As much as a pistol (especially 9mm ball) sucks compared to a rifle or carbine, sometimes you just need a 'handgun', not a 'handSgun'. . . and there's no time to go chase down the captain and ask to pretty please borrow his. . . These pistols (issued in addition to, not instead of, rifles/carbines), while issued to that leader, should be considered a 'unit', rather than 'personal' weapon, just like a SAW or M203, and should be loaned to whoever needs it the most at that time -- like the SAW gunner in a defensive pos who needs to take a dump. Also, whoever has a handgun needs to carry it 24/7 when in theater. . . even if in a 'safe' area. (If you thought you were going to need a gun, you'd bring your rifle and all the ammo you can hump, wouldn't you? Well, what if you're wrong, and the Martian People's Liberation Front takes that day to kill some GIs standing down in the "secure" capital zone?)

2. As pistols are an oft-neglected weapon, Basic should be modified so that _every_ Soldier (except those medics and chaplains who are conscientious objectors and currently cannot be required to handle any weapon) learns to maintain and operate the standard service pistol (M9), including a live-fire "familiarization". At least they'll be able to make the damned thing go BANG! if their Humm-Vee flips and the only gun they can reach is their (very dead) CO's. . . call it 4 hours of training per company (including admin BS timewasters that always crop up). . . they can shoot it on the BRM 'zero' range while waiting on the rest of the company (in other words, everyone goes "on line" again after they zero their rifles). 10 meters at a full-size target, 2 five round magazines (so they have to do a tactical mag change), should do it fine. . . use about a half-dozen positions at one end of the range, with target racks placed in buried soup cans. Every Soldier should be able to operate and maintain the standard pistol, rifle, LMG, and MMG, regardless of MOS. (Why not more emphasis on the pistol if I think it is that important? Because while every Soldier should know how to shoot the common small arms, the risk that they will need to do so in combat without further training doesn't justify the additional resources needed to make them crack shots with a 'non-duty' weapon. Pistol skills are SO perishable that 100% Army wide maintenance of real proficiency is unrealistic. . . I'll settle for safe operation, with real proficiency focused on those issued pistols.)

3. ALL Soldiers in a combat zone should be permitted to carry a personal pistol, provided that they supply all logistics needs (ammo, cleaning supplies, accessories, etc.), that it is a U.S. approved service pistol design, it is loaded with U.S. milspec type ball ammo (to avoid 'Hague' problems), it is carried in a U.S. milspec holster in a fashion consistent with the Soldier's duties, and that the Soldier qualifies on the standard course with the specific pistol in question. In other words, if some PFC wants to carry a Colt M1991 (not a typo -- the "bare bones" civilian M1911A1), a Beretta M92SB, or a SigSauer P228 or P229 in 9mmP (type classified for MPs, aviators, etc.) in a standard U.S. holster, he should be allowed. I DO NOT wish to see some stainless steel Colt Python in a shoulder rig or 'gunfighter' holster. If you can't trust Snuffy with a handgun, shouldn't you consider chaptering the irresponsible lout, anyway? I _like_ handguns, as a gun you _always_ have. Not every war will be a 100-hour wonder. . . Snuffy _will_ be wandering around the local economy, going to chow, etc., where a rifle isn't thought to be needed.

4. Concerning blanks, remember that pistols also need blank adaptors. With pistols that aren't already threaded for a suppressor, the easiest way is to use a plugged barrel. (Easy enough, take a barrel that has _interior_ wear and damage, and plug it. If you don't want to contact a Hollywood prop-maker and buy $50 "blank modified" barrels, probably the easiest and safest way is to tap the muzzle for tight threads for 2-3 inches, screw a bolt matching those threads, saw off the head, and paint the exposed parts red. Personally, I prefer getting a purpose-made plugged barrel that will not chamber 9x19mm ball, perhaps by only accepting 9x17mm crimped blanks. That way, there's no way to accidentally chamber live ammo.) THIS BARREL MUST BE PAINTED RED, and the chamber remarked "BLANK ONLY", so that all concerned can tell at a glance it's blank adapted (witness negligent discharge incidents that police SWAT teams have experienced, because they forgot about "blanking" the pistols). Shouldn't present a "tactical visibility" problem, given the ranges that handguns are good for.

5. Even better, use Simunitions for QCB training with handguns. Simunitions replaces the barrel, slide, magazine (I think), and springs of YOUR pistol with ones that only chamber and fire the low-powered paintball marking rounds. They are also color-coded blue, to avoid any mixups. (For some reason, probably because they are "auxiliary" weapons, handguns are the most likely to be forgotten about safety-wise during force-on-force training.) These register somewhat painful hits (of course, you _are_ wearing vest, kevlar, gloves, and goggles at a minimum, aren't you? ) that cannot be denied, with water-soluble paints that wash right out. This stuff gets rave reports every time someone encounters it in police tactical training. ** (Just saw your SIMUNITIONS link in the index. . . )

6. All pistols need to be lanyarded, ALWAYS. I like attaching the lanyard to the holster, so the cord can be dumped inside there, snag-free. Adjust your lanyard so that it just reaches your shooting position. . . that way it provides some extra tension to pull against, for recoil control. If you thought losing a canteen because you dropped it when you dove for cover was annoying, imagine losing your drawn pistol (which kinda indicates you're SOL for a rifle already) in combat and being reduced to a knifefighter in a gunfight. . . (I vividly recall the feeling of realizing I'd let go of my canteen when the firebees rolled arty sims on my pos ONLY because the thing was trailing behind me on it's dummycord. All I wanted to do was put 200-300 meters between me and the impact zone ASAP. . . )

7. The Army can increase pistol proficiency at little cost by promoting 'off-duty' shooting events (such as IDPA matches oriented towards military equipment and scenarios) with volunteer Army-qualified ('carded') range safety staffs and allowing soldiers who have qualified with a pistol to sign a pistol out (duty/supply permitting) for such, and allowing Soldiers to purchase 'surplused' ammo directly from the command at cost plus. This same philosophy should be extended to ALL basic small arms and 'casual' practice (still need a volunteer 'carded' range safety team) situations. Troops punching holes in targets, even in blue jeans at known distances, are troops who aren't getting into trouble in town, and they WILL develop better shooting skills. Even when they are trying something dumb, like the 'gangsta' sideways pistol technique, they will quickly learn what works. . . and if they are never allowed to experiment, they will not develop real proficiency."

Another hard-charger writes in:

"Just saw your page on equipping Ranger Regiment with pistols. Two observations:

As Clint Smith once told me, 'the only reason to use a pistol in combat [including CQB] is to fight your way to the rifle you never should have put down in the first place.' Pistols are a good idea for any soldier as a backup weapon, but they're not particularly suited for any sort of combat situation except peacekeeping (where long arms are forbidden or discouraged, but a pistol in the 'Mexican carry' gets by) and vehicle crewmen.

I've had pistol CQB training, and I'll take an M4 any day - save for overpenetration issues, the rifle wins hands down, and I'm not a cop.

Second, you *can* screw a can (silencer) on an M9, but you're not going to have a silenced weapon. The gas all escapes from the slide, and you only have a bit of sound suppression. The real purpose of suppressors on military weaponry is to make the report less directional, for purposes of counterfire. Rangers don't tend towards stealth in firefights (nor does anybody in MOUT situations), and adding a big suppressor to a big pistol ends up using most of the space of your M4 - with incompatible ammo.

My answer? Tape a vanilla Glock and a spare mag to the front plate of your Ranger body armor, and don't waste too much rifle time working on pistol proficiency.

Regards,

XXXXXXXXXX

Our reply:

1. please get CSM Haney's Inside Delta Force and read it regardless. "Short guns" as they call pistols is for CQB to not overpenetrate and kill hostages as you see what befell Mr. Burnham in the jungle recently during the meeting engagement. The lack of an ability to carry CS tear gas grenades like we used to before Bush Senior banned riot control agents has really hurt U.S. operational tactics especially in situations where you need to scatter folks.

2. I think like you and would rather have a full-size M16 or shorty M4 shooting more powerful 5.56mm in combat, even hostage rescues and hope to not shoot through a bad guy and kill a hostage but Delta thinks differently.

3. Why not have the lead man that throws the flash bang armed with a pistol? His hands will be more free with a pistol.

4. Rangers as potential Delta back-ups should have the pistol skills. Also if they deploy undercover they need the pistol skills to defend themselves. Heck every Army Soldier should know how to shoot pistols for this reason.

5. The biggest people group that need to get away from the pistol mentality is Army Aviators; if they get shot down they need a 5.56mm M4 carbine minimal to ward off whoever shot their helicopter down. Just consider Roberts' Ridge incident in Afghanistan a few months ago.

Thanks for the feedback!

1st TSG (A) Staff