The United States Army Chief of Staff recently made a splash when be broke form and publicly complained about the Army’s Modular Handgun System procurement to select a new handgun. Citing it as an example of bureaucracy run amok. Senator Joni Ernst recently stated what many have thought, “Why is it so difficult for the Amry to buy a basic item like a pistol?”

According to Military.com, the Army’s Brass including Chief of Staff General Mark Milley met and determined that the Modular Handgun System program was to continue as planned. Per the source Military.com cites (who requested anonymity as they could not formally speak on the matter), the Chief of Staff’s office asked Special Operation Command’s G-8 office (responsible for fielding equipment) if the Big Army could join in their Glock 19 pistol contract.

If one were to look at only the price, moving to the Glock contract would make sound fiscal sense. SOCOM currently procures the handguns at about $320 each, well below the estimated $350 million cost of the Modular Handgun System program, though this does not take into account miscellaneous items.

 Lt. Gen. John M. Murray, deputy chief of staff of the Army’s office for programs, or G-8, agreed that the service has been down a “torturous path” on the handgun program.

“I will guarantee you [Gen. Milley] is involved with the testing, requirements and source selection, when we get to that point, in every intimate detail,” Murray said, describing how he has had “several very long and painful meetings with him in the past week or two and dug into how we got where we are and how do we fix this.”

Unlike any other conventional small arms program that the author is aware of, the MHS is also including the ammunition as part of the evaluation. In a serious break with the norm, the handgun supplier is also being required to show the capability to deliver ammunition in addition to the handguns, should they be selected.