According the 2nd Marine Division Gunner, CW5 Christian Wade, they are working on an Urgent Operational Needs Statement for Glock 19Ms to outfit Afghanistan-bound members of the unit.
Gunner Wade posted this image to Facebook on Friday night. Please ignore that the image is of a G17M. Gunner Wade is fully aware.
Few other details are available, such as the basis of issue. However, Gunner Wade has stated that he wants them in Marines’ hands quickly, so they can conduct pre-deployment training with them.
While the Glock 19M is a great sidearm, you have to wonder why M9 pistols won’t work. We know from his past comments that he prefers a compact sidearm, but with deployed Marines in uniform and full Deuce gear, the advantage of the smaller frame is negligible.
Perhaps weight is a concern. But as of right now, few Marines outside of MARSOC carry pistols. If weight is the driving factor, adding a pistol to the load is something that needs to be looked at very critically.
Ironically, Marine tables of organization were changed several years ago to eliminate most of the M9 pistols when the M4 Carbine was fielded as a replacement of the M16A4.
Considering all of those factors, the move isn’t without precedent. The Marine Corps has fielded Glocks. Initially, it was MARSOC, which adopted G19s using MFP-11 funds. While technically not a Marine Corps fielding per se, those are Marines using them. Rumors have floated around in the past that the Corps was considering purchasing off of the USSOCOM contract.
Additionally, the Marine Corps very recently purchased a small quantity of Glock 19Ms off of the FBI contract. Those were for use by members of the Marine Corps’ Criminal Investigation Division. CID has a close relationship with the FBI due to the location of several of the federal agency’s elements on Quantico, so adoption of the FBI’s sidearm isn’t that surprising.
It will be interesting to see how the Marine Corps responds to this UONS.
