Some in U.S. Army Question Decision to Arm Afghan Army with M-16

Yet another post to badmouth the AR-15 platform, just because I haven't done one in a while. In an earlier post I bemoaned the fact that the US was wasting time and money equipping the Iraqi and Afghan security forces with biometric-equipped M-4s. Well the transition doesn't seem to be going too smoothly.

Via Danger Room

I spent some time with a group of ANA (Afghan National Army) soldiers in their compound. With some coaxing from Dave, a British army captain who was part of the mentoring team, the Afghans aired a few complaints. Their food, they said, was inadequate. And several ANA soldiers said they were not fond of their new M16s, which required constant cleaning.

Dave said the plan to shift the ANA to more NATO-standard equipment was perhaps the wrong priority. “This equipment issue has now outstripped their training,” he said. “They are literally dumping this equipment on them and we are having to backtrack. It would be better if we could concentrate on the basics.”