Army Serious About Fielding 6.8 Caliber Round.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew
• Position: NEWS BRIEFS

* "Right now, the feedback looks like we are going to a 6.8 caliber round," Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said recently.

The service has a list of its top six modernization priorities and "soldier lethality" is one of the items. The most high-profile program in that category is the squad automatic rifle. Army Secretary Mark Esper at the Association of the United States Army annual conference--while promising the service is speeding up the way it does acquisition--singled out the program as one that would see prototypes in the near future.

"The bottom line is that we are committed to a new rifle," Milley told reporters.

The 6.8 round would replace the 5.56 NATO round, which would mean two types of ammo for rifles on the battlefield, at least initially, Milley suggested. The 6.8 mm round was first developed by Remington and Special Operations Command. It is more lethal and accurate than the old rounds and 10 percent lighter.

If Milley's prediction is correct, it would be used in one of six rifles being developed for the squad automatic rifle competition by five contractors. The competitors are: AAI Corp.-Textron Systems; FN America LLC (with two rifles); General Dynamics-OTS Inc; PCP Tactical LLC; and Sig Sauer Inc.

The new rifle is apt to be expensive, so not every soldier will have it from day one, Milley said.

"It's a very sophisticated weapon. It's a very capable weapon. And it has an integrated sight system," he said. It will also integrate into the...