South Carolina Army National Guardsmen train with new NextGen Squad Weapons at Fort Stewart, Georgia, on June 20, 2024. S.C. Guardsmen are the third to receive the new weapons, following the North Carolina and West Virginia National Guards. (Turner Horton/U.S. Army National Guard)
The South Carolina National Guard completed training exercises with new Next Generation Squad Weapons last week, part of an Army program that seeks to modernize standard-issue military equipment and increase the abilities of soldiers in the field.
Guardsmen in the 4th Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment, 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade spent last week training at Fort Stewart, Ga., with the new XM7 rifles and XM250 light machine guns, according to a service news release.
The NextGen Squad Weapons program, launched by the Army in 2017, seeks to replace the standard issue M4 carbine, M249 SAW light machine gun and the M240 machine gun with newer, more accurate and more adaptable weapons. The new weapons were designed in 2019, tested last year and entered service for the first time in March.
It is the first time in 65 years the Army has fielded a new rifle and automatic rifle, a fire control system and a new caliber family of ammunition. The weapons use 6.8 mm ammunition, as opposed to the standard 5.56 mm ammunition used previously.
“The XM7, compared to the M4, is definitely a step up. The rifle is a little bit heavier, but its accuracy is definitely worth the extra weight,” said Cpl. Joseph Negron, a cavalry scout in the 4th Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment.
The Army says the new weapons increase the effectiveness of soldiers through enabling better mobility, lethality and situational awareness.
“The XM7 is a great rifle. We are training and practicing target shots. My favorite thing about the XM7 is how the weapon can be easily used by right-handed and left-handed shooters,” Negron said.
In addition to S.C., Guardsmen in North Carolina and West Virginia have adapted to the NSGW program and begun training with new weapons. The new weapons are set to become the new standard issue of the Army in the future.
