--The existing 'AK-47s' are pretty junky, though. According to our military - they jam, are poorly made. It's worth getting uniform, reliable weapons to help the Iraqis who are willing to fight and die for their own country. They know how bad their enemy is. They are 'softer' targets, and risk much to fight - including the lives of their families.--
Well, that's not exactly true (re: junky AKs). If you check here -
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-iraq-ak-47-heaven,0,4966114.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines - Some US troops have begun using confiscated AKs due to the lack of availability of the M16s. They are finding that there are some ways that the AKs are superior, in that they jam less and are a bit more reliable, especially in dusty climes such as Iraq. The M16 is much more accurate, especially at longer ranges, but the AK does have it's own advantages, not even including the fact that with AKs so available, ammunition is quite easy to locate.
As one tanker seargant says, ""They say you can probably drop this in the water and leave it overnight, pull it out in the morning, put in a magazine and it will work," Perez said."