“The absurd ROEs you had to endure cost more lives than your issued weapons ever did.”
Ex-squeeze me???
If anything the conflicts (you know, the declared wars we got into) had clear objectives, identifiable enemies, and we defeated them...
Of course Vietnam was a different story altogether, and that was because of the clear political micro-managing of that “war”...Korea was a real cluster because of the U.N. rookie diplomatic/political involvement in most of those decisions...
See the trend???
“There are always weapons platforms that are better suited for certain applications. That, in itself, does not nullify the 5.56mm. There is not one that can do everything.”
That is about the best thing you have said in this back and forth exercise...
One thing is for sure, you get shot, it hurts, if it doesn’t kill you right away...It takes YOU out of the fight in a high percentage of cases...You are just as got with a .22 caliber, as you are with a .30 caliber weapon...
I happen to like the discipline a heavier caliber gives you in combat, it creates better mechanics, patience, accuracy (when you have time to set u the shot), but nothing is ever set in an ideal situation...
A M4/M16 style weapon puts out a lot of puncture devices in a short timeframe...It can certainly take an adversary out...
It also has to do with training, weapon and tactics...Both individual and small unit work...Also know that YOU are not the end to ALL means, you always have something to learn and apply, if you live long enough...
If anything, I have seen some bad habits develop right from the start of some folks military training...It used to be solved by working with consistency with others, but we have such a high turnover rate, declining retention due to a lot of factors including political agendas that ARE effecting how well our forces work at all levels...
And that is most unfortunate...And puts lives at un-necessary risk...
Just my opinion...
Yes, I do, and have commented about it more specifically on other threads.