The Army Brief: New squad weapons; Third Ukraine weapons package; Artillery training; and more...
CAITLIN M. KENNEY | APRIL 22, 2022
THE ARMY BRIEF ARMY UKRAINE
Welcome to The Army Brief, a weekly look at the news and ideas shaping the service’s future.
New small arms. Next year, the first unit of soldiers is expected to get their hands on the next-generation squad weapons that have been in development for more than two years, Defense One reports. Sig Sauer’s designs for the XM5 rifle and XM250 machine gun won the coveted competition; their new 6.8mm ammunition is designed to be more lethal than the 5.56mm and 7.62mm rounds that have been around for decades.
Aid package No. 3. President Joe Biden announced a third $800 million package of weapons for Ukraine, including 72 155mm howitzers and 144,000 rounds, Defense One reports. The package has nearly depleted the funds authorized by Congress last month. Biden is expected to submit a supplemental budget request next week.
Artillery training. The U.S. will soon be training a small group of Ukrainian forces on how to use their new 155mm howitzers at an undisclosed location outside of Ukraine, Defense One reports. The desperately needed artillery will be arriving in Ukraine in the coming days as Russian forces start operations in the eastern Donbas region where fighting is expected to be fierce.
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2022/04/the-army-brief-april-22-2022/365981/
