One drink into Happy Hour and I
stumble across this little vignette, telling us that the US Marines have approved the Glock 19 for limited use in Special Operations.
However, the 9mm semi-automatic Glock 19 pistol is officially approved for use only by personnel assigned to Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, according to a force-wide message issued in mid-February. In fact, the pistol will carry a non-Marine inventory number because it is a U.S. Special Operations Command asset, according to the message.
I knew that Glock pistols were widely used in several militaries and in law enforcement, but I didn't realize that the enemy carried them as well.
It is not immediately clear if MARSOC has used the pistols unofficially before now, but they are popular throughout the special operations community. More broadly, they are standard issue for armies on several continents, a staple among international and domestic law enforcement, including the FBI and many local police departments. Glocks are ubiquitous among civilian gun enthusiasts. And they are even seen in the hands of some al-Qaida fighters.
I'll be damned. Time for another drink.
Easy to train with (match the country X) and plenty of ammo available.
ReplyDeleteGiven the logistics of our forces being all into 9mm and SF types being able to carry about whatever gun they choose my observation after deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan is that Army SF and some other SOC/JSOC types have been carrying Glocks in one form or another for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI bet this has some .45/ 1911 die hard types completely losing their shit.
Realized I should have put a couple periods into there.
ReplyDelete