Brits running out of blank ammo

It makes headlines at the London Telegraph.

I remember one annual training when I was an infantry rifle platoon leader. I took my platoon to the field for ten days or so, training on the squad attack (movement to contact, approach march technique, for you die-hard doctrinairres.)

The squads were to undergo a formal internal evaluation by my company commander at the end of the FTX.

That's the squad attack. With two M249 machine guns. Regulating the M249 rate of fire and coordinating their efforts is a major point of action for the infantry squad leader.

I remember vividly I was allocated less than thirty blank rounds per soldier for the entire exercise. Ten days. Squad offense. Including the evaluation itself.

The MILES gear was useless.

Oh. I forgot to mention. Clinton was president, and that was the last year the Democrats controlled both houses of congress.

Things got a lot better after that. And under Bush, I actually have plenty of ammo - live and blank. I have so much ammo I have trouble shooting it all sometimes.

But make no mistake: While the U.S. Army was dodging RPGs in Mogadishu, its reserve components were training with "bang bang" rounds back in the States.

Splash, out

Jason