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More Marines Will Test Lighter Polymer-Cased Ammunition as Experiments Expand to Fleet
A Marine with 2nd Maintenance Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, loads a chain of ammunition into a M2 .50-caliber machine gun during a live-fire training exercise on SR8 Multi-purpose Machine Gun Range aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. (Alex Mitchell/Marine Corps)
9 May 2021
The Marine Corps has been testing the performance of a polymer-cased .50-caliber ammunition in a lab environment, and leathernecks soon will get a chance to see how the lighter rounds hold up in the field.
Marines at the schools of infantry on both coasts, Advanced Machine Gunners Course, and 1st and 2nd Amphibious Assault Battalions will likely be the first to try out the new round for the Ma Deuce M2 machine gun, said Kelly Flynn, a Marine Corps Systems Command spokeswoman. Officials then want members of I and II Marine Expeditionary Forces to test the round on static and maneuver ranges, she said.
These Marines will test a lighter, polymer-cased .50 caliber round 1 day ago Your next belt of .50 caliber ammunition could weigh 10 to 20 pounds less than it does now, if industry representatives are able to meet the needs of a recent Marine Corps request. (Staff Sgt. Vitaliy Rusavskiy/Marine Corps) Marines at infantry schools, machine gunner courses and certain amphibious battalions will soon be lugging a lighter load as they test new polymer case .50 caliber ammunition. The Marine Corps has taken the lead to lighten the load of the heavy ammo, its linkages and containers. Brig. Gen. A.J. Pasagian, head of Marine Corps Systems Command, told reporters in an overview of recent and ongoing infantry gear updates that the combined changes that have been made so far have reduced the weight of an ammo can of .50 caliber by a quarter.
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.
II Marine Expeditionary Force executed Exercise Dynamic Cape 21.1, a live maritime prepositioning exercise that included an Operational Logistics Exercise with a subsequent final exercise event, from April 7-28.
DC 21.1 was a MEF level exercise which supported the development of command and control and logistics capabilities across different areas of operations. The scenario-based training incorporated movement of military equipment, personnel, transportation, and cross communication between II MEF, its allies, and partners.
U.S. Marines assigned to II MEF, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, and 2nd Marine Logistics Group participated in DC 21.1 with external support from the Norwegian Army’s Brigade North.
Two and a half years after Hurricane Florence made landfall in North Carolina, military construction projects worth more than a billion dollars are now underway to restore the state’s Marine Corps installations.
Officials held a ceremonial groundbreaking at the 10th Marine Regiment headquarters on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune last week to officially commence a five-year effort to rebuild facilities on the East Coast’s largest Marine Corps base and its two nearby air stations.
“Over the next five years, you will see construction on an epic scale,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Miguel Dieguez, assistant chief of staff for Facilities and Environment, Marine Corps Installations East (MCIEAST) - MCB Camp Lejeune, in a news release.