The Marine Corps is rolling into the future, stripping armor assets, and streamlining their approach to warfare. The Marine Rifle Squad, in particular, has seen a unique update that’s changed its basic composition from 13 Marines to 15 Marines. Besides adding two Marines to the squad, their arsenal has also been updated with lighter, more […]
About Travis Pike
On Target: Why the US military needs to put Red Dots on its sidearms
GearAs a slow lumbering beast, the military is often rarely fast to acquire and accept new technology. One such example is the adoption of red dot sights on handguns. The world of competition shooting, elite police forces, and everyday joes are full of red dot-equipped handguns. I have good news for you: and it doesn’t […]
The 7 best service weapon nicknames of the US military
HistoryMilitary culture is different from mainstream culture, and predictably, military cultures around the world are different from American military culture. However, there seems to be one tradition every military culture keeps, and that’s nicknames. Specifically, nicknames for gear. I’ve trained with a half dozen different military forces. In that time, I learned we all love […]
The future Marine Rifle Squad as explained by a machine gunner
Military AffairsThe Marine Corps does a lot of things well. One of those things is to do more with less, and as you’d expect as a result, another is to innovate. However, the plans for the new Marine Corps rifle squad seem to suggest the Corps might be moving away from that ‘more with less’ reputation. […]
The APC9K: We get hands-on with the Army’s new SMG
GearIn July of 2021, I wrote an article about the Army’s latest submachine gun, the APC9K. That article was done via outside analysis. I wasn’t part of the contest, and I certainly didn’t have a pile of submachines guns to do my own testing. Well, someone at B&T saw the article, liked what I said, […]
NGSW: Pros and cons of the Next Generation Squad Weapon entries
GearNot to be too critical, but man, the Army loves to waste money trying to replace the M16 family of rifles. They’ve been doing it for decades now and spent millions and millions of dollars in the effort. The latest contest is called the Next Generation Squad Weapons, or NGSW, which aims to replace both […]
The unique weapons of MACV-SOG’s covert commandos in Vietnam
HistoryI love when military forces use something other than the same old standard issue kit. I like the what and the why of the situation–the mission sets, circumstances, and individuals who are forced to look outside the confines of the base armory for their loadout. The MACV-SOG weapons, like the very men in the elite […]
Stinger: The DIY machine gun Marines yanked out of warplanes
HistoryAs both a Marine and a machine gunner, I guess you could say I’m partial to the history of Marine machine gunners. Part of that history contains a little-known story that combines practically all of the most important elements military history nerds like me salivate over: Marines, machine guns, World War 2, and the ingenuity […]
War elephants: The original heavy armor fought into the 1950s
HistoryMan, I remember sitting at my old Dell laptop for hours on end playing Age of Empires 2. I was a wee lad and loved reaching the point of War Elephants. At that age, the only Hannibal I knew liked Chianti and gave me nightmares, but I also knew that these powerful pachyderms could help […]
Swedish K: The SMG Sweden took back from America’s covert operators
HistoryIn the world of submachine guns, a few designs stand out and get their due credit. The Thompson, the Sten gun, the MP5, and some others have all earned their place among the legends of martial prowess. One submachine gun that’s earned its place on this list is the Carl Gustaf M/45, also known as […]
