14 Dec;1255
Voice of the Soldier
2607 soldiers surveyed by Center of Naval
Analysis; 917 assigned the M4 and used it in combat
Soldier confidence:
816, or 89%, reported overall satisfaction with the M4
734, or 80%, reported confidence that the M4 will fire without malfunction in combat
761, or 83%, reported confidence that the M4 will not suffer major breakage or failure that necessitates repair before further use.
Stoppages:
743, or 81%, of Soldiers assigned the M4 did not experience a stoppage while engaging the enemy.
74, or 19%, of Soldiers assigned the M4 did experience a stoppage while engaging the enemy.
143, or 16%, of Soldiers who experienced a stoppage reported a small impact to their ability to engage the enemy after performing immediate or remedial action to clear the stoppage.
31, or 3%, of Soldiers who experienced a stoppage reported an inability to engage the enemy during a significant portion or the entire firefight after performing immediate or remedial action to clear the stoppage.
12, or 1%, of Soldiers indicated the M4 should be replaced.
What we also know- 89% overall Soldier satisfaction of M4 Carbine