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Competition sought for new Army rifle

A Republican senator wants the Army to hold an open competition among gun makers in order to “give our troops the best rifle in the world.”

In an April 12 letter, Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma asked Acting Army Secretary Peter Geren why the Army is spending millions of dollars on Colt M4 carbines, standard issue for soldiers deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan, without considering newer and possibly better weapons available on the commercial market.

“There is nothing more important to a soldier than [his] rifle, and there is simply no excuse for not providing our soldiers the best weapon — not just a weapon that is ‘good enough,’ ” Coburn wrote.

Coburn said he takes issue with the Army’s plans to spend $375 million on M4s through fiscal 2009.

“If the Army is going to spend $375 million to buy hundreds of thousands of new rifles, they should buy the best rifle available. Period,” Coburn said in an April 26 e-mail to Army Times.

The Army began fielding the M4 in the mid-1990s. Lighter and more compact than the M16 rifle, it’s more effective for the close confines of urban combat. However, Coburn said, “considering the long-standing reliability and lethality problems with the M16 design, on which the M4 is based, I am afraid that our troops in combat might not have the best weapon.”

The ranking member on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee for federal financial management, government information and international security, Coburn requested the results of Army weapon surveys conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan to “include our soldiers’ accounts of malfunctions, assessments of reliability and how the Army is addressing those reliability concerns.”

Lt. Col. Norm Wade, a spokesman in the Army secretary’s office, acknowledged receipt of the letter and said a reply for Coburn was being prepared.

A Feb. 26 Army Times story focusing on why some experts believe it’s time to hold a competition for a new rifle “drew Coburn’s attention to the issue,” said a Senate aide who asked to not to be named.

Army Times reported that in an Army small-arms survey, soldiers criticized M16 and M4 reliability under harsh desert conditions of Iraq.

Army’s Delta Force replaced its M4s with the Heckler & Koch 416 in 2004.

The elite unit linked up with the German arms maker to develop the new carbine. H&K replaced the M4’s gas system with one that experts say significantly reduces malfunctions while increasing parts life.

Members of the commando unit — formally known as 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta — have been carrying it in combat ever since.

Delta’s move to the 416 prompted U.S. Special Operations Command to raise its standards for small-arms reliability. In November 2004, SOCOM awarded a developmental contract to FN Herstal to develop its new Special Operations Combat Assault Rifle to replace all those from the M16 family.

When contacted April 26, Colt officials expressed pride in the M4 and its performance in combat.

“We stand behind the M4,” said Jim Tipton, assistant operations officer for Colt Defense LLC. “It’s a proven combat weapon.”

Coburn wrote in his letter that he wants the Army to hold a competition to evaluate alternatives to the M4.

“A number of manufacturers have researched, tested and fielded weapons which, by all accounts, appear to provide significantly improved reliability,” Coburn wrote, but did not cite data for any, including the M4.

“To fail to allow free and open competition of these operational weapons is unacceptable. … I believe the Army needs to rapidly revise its rifle and carbine requirements.”

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