The Military Times is reporting that the US Army has opted not to accept the proposed M9A3 handgun by Beretta. The move is not surprising, but it is surprising how quickly the Army acted. Not known for quick decision making, the Army has claimed the M9 does not meet the MHS requirements.

Military.com quotes Beretta’s VP:

“Obviously, they didn’t take a whole lot of time on this,” said Gabriele De Plano, vice president of military marketing and sales for Beretta USA, reacting to the news of the Army’s pre-Christmas decision after the M9A3’s December 10 unveiling.

Army officials “didn’t ask a single question; didn’t ask for a single sample” for evaluation, De Plano said.

Of course the handgun does not meet the MHS requirements, but the Army’s quick dismissal shows, in my opinion, a very real lack of due diligence and prudence. Changing platforms is a very expensive affair for the Army and if the M9 could have solved 90% of the issues for minimal cost, it may have been worth at least considering.

Hopefully this will result in the best handgun for the armed forces and not the same bureaucratic cluster that brought the M9 around to begin with.

Note- Cover photo from Military.com. Hit the link for their full article.