[Mariner]

"or were they told to make a green round and things just worked out well for the troops this time? "

The latter.

Guaranteed.

[Flag_This]

"or were they told to make a green round and things just worked out well for the troops this time? "

The latter. Guaranteed.

From The American Rifleman:
"The M855A1 cartridge is actually the Army’s fourth version of a lead-free 5.56 mm projectile, capping a 15-year effort that quite likely consumed $100 million. The program began in 1995 as the Joint Service Non-Toxic Ammunition Working Group, established by the Army’s Armament Research Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) and funded through the Army’s Environmental Center." Link

Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders finally got her "safer bullets" after all.