No M-16A5? Everyone is onboard the carbine bandwagon?

via Marine Corps Times.

"The Marine Corps conducted an evaluation of its individual weapons (M4, M27 and M16A4), with specific focus on comparing accuracy, shift of impact and trajectory with improved ammunition, and determined the M4's overall performance compares favorably with that of the M27 IAR, the most accurate weapon in the squad," according to the written responses provided by Semelroth.

Read it here.

At what distance does the M4 compare favorably with the M27?  What happened to the M-16A5 concept?  Why the move now to move to the M4?

I suspect its to accommodate women in the infantry and has nothing at all to do with increasing the lethality of the average infantryman.

This is another in a series of decisions that make no sense on the surface, appear to be acts to appease critics that the Marine Corps is not doing anything for its ground forces and is simply a big dose of me too-ism that is definitely Un-Marine Corps like.

On the whole this is no big deal.  Going to the M4 is relatively minor.  When added to everything else it once again makes me wonder who is running the shop, what their priorities are and if they have a clue.

A Mentor once told me to beware of a leader that focuses on minor shit because the tough stuff is too hard.  When minor becomes major you're at the beginning of a tail spin that will be difficult to recover from.

In today's Marine Corps this is minor shit that shouldn't even be on the radar.