US Army carbine programme in limbo until further notice

The US Army is still awaiting the final go-ahead from the government before it can launch its much-anticipated carbine programme to replace some one million M16 and M4 assault rifles in service.

Speaking to Jane's at the AUSA exhibition in Washington DC, a spokesman for the Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier said funds had been set aside for the programme, but added that the government had yet to pass a Congress Budget Resolution (CBR) to confirm it. The CBR had originally been expected to be passed on 1 October.

However, PEO Soldier officials told Jane's that they had not received any 'negative' feedback that would indicate plans to remove the carbine programme funds from the Fiscal Year 2010 budget and they now expect the CBR to be approved by December at the very latest.