JAG temporarily banned Army and Marine Corps snipers from using a highly accurate open-tip bullet.

Washington Times ^ | Jan 20, 2006 | Bill Gertz, Rowan Scarborough

[radar101]

JAG, we are told, mistakenly thought the open-tip round was the same as hollow-point ammunition, which is banned. The original open-tip was known as Sierra MatchKing and broke all records for accuracy in the past 30 years. The difference between the open-tip and the hollow point is that the open tip is a design feature that improves accuracy while the hollow point is designed for increasing damage when it hits a target. About 10 days ago, the Army JAG in Iraq ordered all snipers to stop using the open-tip 175-grain M118LR bullet, claiming, falsely, it was prohibited. Instead of the open-tip, snipers were forced to take M-60 machine gun rounds out of belts and use them instead.

[pacpam]

I'm thinking the Army isn't getting the cream of the crop.

[Citizen Tom Paine]

In any operation one always should keep the legal eagles snout's out of it. They can seduce the canine without even trying most of the time. IMHO

[GladesGuru]

"However, the reversal was followed by the Army officials' taking retaliation against a sniper who blew the whistle on the bogus order. The sniper lost his job over a security infraction in reporting the JAG."


WTF ? ? ?

The JAG lawyerette issues an order, for which she has no authority, banning a legal bullet - and She Still Has Her Job?

Meanwhile, back in Iraq, the sniper who caused the reversal of an illegal order by said lawyerette Lost His Position?

WTF ? ? ? ?

It seems that some of the Communism Lite types placed throughout the military under Bill Clinton, are still busy Liberal-ing off. I'd like to see the lawyerette dishonorably discharged AND the sniper rewarded for his brave and honorable stand of the facts.

I feel the Army, Congress, and Rumsfeld should hear from those who are not happy with these decisions.

Would any other FReepers like to start a phone/fax/email campaign about this egregiously unfair series of decisions?

[Fielding]

If that female JAG's name is Maggie, we could call this whole operation "Maggie's Drawers"

[HereInTheHeartland]

JAG lawyer in sight. Chamber a round of that new, more accurate round.

[GladesGuru]

Given the depth of devotion to Communism Lite amongst the Clinton types, including all too many of the Clinton military appointees, the nasty possibility exists that the lawyerette was laying the groundwork for some Liberal presstitute (forgive the redundancy) to claim the following:

1. "America is violating the Geneva Convention."
2. "American snipers are using dum-dum bullets against Geneva Conventions" ad nauseam.

Why would an anti-American lawyerette want to reduce the efficacy of our snipers? Simple - snipers are having a significant impact in the Iraqi combat scene.

[A.A. Cunningham]

2200 meters = 1.364 statute miles

[Thebaddog]

How did she even get involved in the issue in the first place? And does she still have a job after issueing orders without authority. She shoulda known better.

[ko_kyi]

I have never been in the military, so I have to ask this question:

Is it OK for one officer (JAG) to give an order (not classified information) to an enlisted and forbid him from informing his own CO about the existence of the order? Does it happen often?

I know in the corporate world I would not be happy about being held responsible for a guy but not knowing whos instructions he was following.

[ApplegateRanch]

Sharp edged bayonets are banned for the same reason – they can have a sharp point but the edge must be blunt.

What's the rule for machetes?

Is a single edge razor blade embedded in the crease of the boot toe illegal to use outside of Compton city limits?

[river rat]

Shakespear was a wise man.......

"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers".
(Act IV, Scene II) - Henry VI Part 2

Semper Fi

[Monitor]

175 SMKs are the most accurate 7.62 X 51mm NATO is probably the most accurate round in that particular caliber we use.

The 168 grain variant is also pretty damned accurate (and more common among civies). The advantage the 175 has over the 168 is a better balistic coefficient, allowing it to remain supersonic over a greater distance, which is why I use the 175s in my own reloads.

[RTINSC]

"2200 meters = 1.364 statute miles"


I always try to err on the conservative side when I make a typo:)

[middie]

He's now the Dean of a law school.

[Taxman]

JAG officers are staff officers. They cannot give operational orders.

[ExpatGator]

My loyalty is not for sale and my endorsement is not given to any man lightly. If he was a ring-knocking loser I would have called him that.

[Simo Hayha]

The whole fiasco sounds dumb. The chain goes both ways. How far did the JAG's order, or ruling, or whatever it was go before someone questioned it? If it got all the way down to the grunt on the battlefield before anyone questioned it...the whole story sounds like some kind of left-wing cow-plop.

[ExpatGator]

Not the one to whom I refer. He is in the private sector and has nothing to do with law offices or courtrooms. He is a producer, not a destroyer of wealth (as are most practicing lawyers).

[ExpatGator]

After having just read your profile I will point out that I said "MOST practicing lawyers" !!!!!!

[DugwayDuke]

"I remember reading somethng about our JAG-OFFs ordering the end of a mission that had targeted Mullah Omar in Afghanistan early in OEF. I believe we had the Mullah in the sights of a Hellfire, but let him go."

I read the same thing. As I remember, there was a civilian structure within the lethal radius of the hellfire and there might have been civilians within the structure. The JAG would not give approval for the shot in order to protect the possible civilians. I understand CENTCOM changed procedures no longer requiring JAG approval.