From Head to Toe, Marine Corps Hunting for New Gear.

• Author: Tadjdeh, Yasmin

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- The Marine Corps is embarking on a major effort to equip infantrymen with a slew of new technologies as the military faces great power competition with Russia and China.

"We are undergoing probably the largest modernization in the infantry squad in the last 25 years," said Lt. Col. Tim Hough, program manager for infantry weapons at Marine Corps Systems Command's ground combat element systems division.

Everything from optics to the weapons themselves are getting revamped, he said during a panel discussion at the National Defense Industrial Association's annual Armament Systems Forum in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

The overhaul will significantly change how the Marine Corps fights and maneuvers on the battlefield, as well as increase the lethality of infantrymen, he added.

For example, the service is currently seeking a new rocket motor, he said. It is decreasing the number of tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided anti-tank missiles in the infantry battalion from eight to four and increasing the number of Javelins from eight to 12, he said.

With "that increase in the number of Javelins we need reliable motors that are low cost," Hough said.

Javelins would be particularly useful against near-peer competitors,

he noted.

Another area of interest is a new suppressor for rifles. The Marine Corps is planning to release a request for proposals to industry soon, Hough added.

"The intent is to suppress every M4, M4A1 and M27 in the infantry community," he said. "Our intent there is to move quickly and find the best possible suppressor we can that is good enough in order to move out in a quick enough fashion."

The Marine Corps plans to award a contract for a suppressor by the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020, he noted. Another top priority for the infantry weapon program office is the dual-tube, white phosphorus squad binocular night-vision goggle. The service issued an RFP for the system and proposals were due in June. While Hough noted that an award was expected by mid-July, as of press time, an award had not been announced.

The service is also working on a new squad common optic that will be outfitted on the M27 to give Marines greater fidelity. The Marine Corps plans to field the optic to every infantry rifle platoon in order to give them an automatic capability, Hough said.

An RFP is planned for late first quarter or early second quarter of fiscal year 2020, and a contract award is slated for third quarter of fiscal...