There have been opinion articles by people with no sway on the matter, but I haven’t seen anything from any official source or from anyone in a position to make a difference.
The transition into 6.8mm is very soft. So far, the US Army is the only US military branch adopting 6.8mm, and even then it is being phased into units most likely to be engaged in spearheading fights. So far the Rangers, Special Forces, and 101st Airborne have been seen training with XM7s and XM250s. I’d expect 82nd Airborne to also be high on the list, seeing that they are on the Immediate Response Force. After that other infantry units and units that would work closely with them, but for now it appears the majority of the Army is keeping 5.56mm.
I think it is a true unknown if 6.8mm ends up pushing out 5.56mm as the US standard. Really it depends on what the world looks like if it ends up becoming a staple cartridge or a flash in the pan. If the US really adopts it wholesale, I think you’ll then start seeing NATO countries adopt it.
Honestly that kinda sounds like it depends on whether or not the US gets in a shooting war. That would either prove or disprove the cartage. Otherwise it might die out due to low adoption.
It seems to me without good Battle Field testing the entropy associated with keeping NATO standards could be the deciding factor.
Does anyone know if there is a push to switch NATO over to the 6.8mm?
There have been opinion articles by people with no sway on the matter, but I haven’t seen anything from any official source or from anyone in a position to make a difference.
The transition into 6.8mm is very soft. So far, the US Army is the only US military branch adopting 6.8mm, and even then it is being phased into units most likely to be engaged in spearheading fights. So far the Rangers, Special Forces, and 101st Airborne have been seen training with XM7s and XM250s. I’d expect 82nd Airborne to also be high on the list, seeing that they are on the Immediate Response Force. After that other infantry units and units that would work closely with them, but for now it appears the majority of the Army is keeping 5.56mm.
I think it is a true unknown if 6.8mm ends up pushing out 5.56mm as the US standard. Really it depends on what the world looks like if it ends up becoming a staple cartridge or a flash in the pan. If the US really adopts it wholesale, I think you’ll then start seeing NATO countries adopt it.
Honestly that kinda sounds like it depends on whether or not the US gets in a shooting war. That would either prove or disprove the cartage. Otherwise it might die out due to low adoption. It seems to me without good Battle Field testing the entropy associated with keeping NATO standards could be the deciding factor.