Army Chief of Staff Wants to Select Next Pistol

[rwl1955]

The U.S. Army's chief of staff said Thursday that if he had his way, he'd abandon the bureaucratic Modular Handgun System effort and personally select the service's next pistol.

Speaking at the Future of War Conference 2016, Gen. Mark Milley said he has asked Congress to grant service chiefs the authority to bypass the Pentagon's multi-layered and complex acquisition process on programs that do not require research and development.

"We are not exactly redesigning how to go to the moon, right?" Milley said. "This is a pistol. ... And arguably, it is the least lethal and important weapon system in the Department of Defense inventory."
http://www.military.com/daily-news/...-select-new-pistol.html?ESRC=army-a_160316.nl

 

[Tallen]

As an acquisitions professional... he's right. It would be cheaper for one person to say: "here is the pistol we're going to use." It'd be just as effective a firearm as whatever got selected through traditional channels. I'd like to think the person selecting would know enough about handguns to pick one currently manufactured in enough quantities to feed .mil. No matter what happens though, you'll get smacked around by Congress, the press, and the public. Congressional members will want to know why you picked a pistol made in the other guy's district and not in theirs, the public will be pissed if you pick a company based overseas, and both the public and the press will assume you're getting kickbacks from the company you decide on. Also let's not forget we're getting a COTS product here so we ought to go through a GSA-approved contractor that will charge you triple MSRP and pocket the difference between that and dealer wholesale. You're probably getting kickbacks from that guy too.

 

[Matt_SERE]

Have you seen this? http://www.northeastshooters.com/vb...bureaucracy-over-sidearm-choices?highlight=m9

 

[rwl1955]

Have you seen this? http://www.northeastshooters.com/vb...bureaucracy-over-sidearm-choices?highlight=m9

********
No, what's your point?

 

[Matt_SERE]

It was a polite way to write "dupe" subject thread without being "that guy".

 

[Glockster30]

As long as it's not 9mm, who cares?

 

[M1911]

Dupe