It's official and final, the U.S. Marine Corps Commandant has approved the M4 as the standard issue rifle for the U.S. Marines. According to the Marine Corps Times, Commandant Gen. Robert Neller has signed off to the use of the rifle, with all infantry battalions, training schools, and security units moving to use the rifle by the 30th of September 2016, and being completed by the end of fiscal 2016.

As we have previously reported here last July, the USMC leaders have endorsed the switch to having the M4 as the universal rifle with the approval of the Commandant seen more of a formality. Also, the decision to adopt the M4 came after extensive testing and also the combat experience with the M4 showing that it outperformed the M16A4 which is the standard rifle of the Marine Corps.

The USMC M4 will be using the 5.56mm AB49 Special Operations Science and Technology cartridge, with which it outshot the M16A4 at all ranges out to 600 meters according to Lt. Col.  Chris Woodburn (ret.), the deputy Maneuver Branch head for the Fires and Maneuver Integration Division of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Development Command.

Another advantage of the M4 over the M16A is that is compact enough to be used effectively in Close Quarters Combat, weighs less, and can work be handled better with body armor.

Almost half of the Corp has had an experience in handling the M4, perhaps through inter-branch operations and cooperation, making the switch the M4 easier. Even more is that since M4 and M16A4 have the same roots, orientation for the Marines to the M4 will not be hard.

There are already 17,000 M4 rifles in the inventory ready to be distributed to the Marines, the remaining can be supplied by the existing supplier. With the adoption of the M4, the USMC has joined the U.S. Army which has been using the M4 as standard rifle since the mid-1990s.