Next Generation Squad Weapon Program

History

The NGSW program began in 2017, after the U.S. Congress issued an order for the U.S. Army to conduct an assessment regarding the need to upgrade existing M4 carbines with SOCOM's SOPMOD free-floating rail. It was concluded that the M4 carbine was still favored by troops and also performed well under stress. Feeding issues and other problems were fixed by using different ammunition types and magazines. Despite this, the M4 had difficulty penetrating the types of bulletproof vests used by Russian and Chinese troops, especially at longer ranges. Pressure to develop a new weapon system also arose from military programs created by other countries, such as Russia's Ratnik program. The U.S. Army's Soldier Enhancement Program released its findings in December 2017, which recommended proceeding with the Next Generation Squad Weapon Program as a more cost-effective solution compared to only retrofitting M4s with free-float rail systems.