The Marine Corps is hoping industry can make lightweight .50 caliber ammunition that provides machine-gunners with a 30 percent weight savings over existing linked belts of .50 caliber ammo.

Marine Corps Systems Command recently released a request for information to see if commercial companies have the capability to produce lightweight .50 caliber ammo that "will provide a weight savings when compared to the current M33 .50 cartridge in the DODIC A555 linked configuration," according to the document released on FedBizOpps.gov.

"A belt of 100 Lightweight .50 Caliber cartridges with 101 links shall have a threshold overall weight of 24.6 lbs. or 15 percent weight savings compared to the legacy A555 configuration," the document states. "A belt of 100 lightweight cartridges with 101 links shall have an objective overall weight savings of more than 20.3 lbs. or 30 percent compared to the legacy A555 configuration."

Lightweight ammunition is not a new concept. Commercial companies continue to work new methods to lighten one of the heaviest necessities of warfare.

The Chesapeake Cartridge Corporation showed off its new line of nickel ammunition at SHOT Show 2018 in Las Vegas. The shell casings, made of aluminum-plated nickel alloy, are lighter and stronger that traditional brass casings, Ed Collins, Chesapeake's director for business development, told Military.com in January.

The company is working toward creating ammunition that's 50 percent lighter than conventional brass ammo. Currently, the company makes military calibers such as 9mm, 5.56mm and 7.62mm NATO, but it plans to make it in additional calibers in the future.

Companies such as PCP Ammunition make polymer-cased ammunition, which offers up to a 30 percent weight savings compared to brass-cased ammo. Textron Systems makes case-telescoped weapons and ammunition. The ammo concept relies on plastic case rather than a brass one to hold the propellant and the projectile, like a conventional shotgun shell.

Over the past decade, the US Army has invested heavily in Textron's concept, formerly known as Light Weight Small Arms Technology. Textron doesn't currently make .50-caliber, case-telescoped ammunition, but its 5.56mm CT ammo weighs about 37 percent less than standard belted 5.56mm.

Companies have until June 1 to respond to the RFI, the document states.

SEE ALSO: The Marine Corps is relying on 3D printing for new parts as it scrambles to prepare for winter warfare

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A report in the Marine Corps Times from Friday, April 27 by journalist Kyle Rempfer revealed that the US Marine Corps Air Ground Task Force Training Command has filed a solicitation for contractors to provide Russian-built Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter or an Mi-17 Hip transport helicopter to serve as accurate opposing forces threat simulation aircraft.

The aircraft would be equipped with electronic tracking pods for integration into simulated combat exercises at the MCAS Yuma Range and Training Area (RTA), a large training facility in the Arizona desert. The Yuma Range and Training Area accurately replicates current and potential threat environments throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

According to Rempfer’s report for the Marine Corps Times, the solicitation read in part, “The [Mi-24] attack helicopter, due to its size, flight profile, firepower and defensive maneuvering capabilities, constitutes a unique threat creating a realistic, dissimilar and credible opposing force.”

In their potential role as a technically realistic opposing force flying against US Marine ground forces in training the helicopters would accurately replicate the threat capabilities of many potential adversary forces.

While the Mi-24 attack helicopter is primarily an air-to-ground attack helicopter the report also mentioned a potential role for any Russian helicopters acquired or contracted as providing a simulated opposing force capability against US Marine Helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft to possibly include the UH-1Y Venom, AH-1Z Super Cobra and MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor.

The US Marine Training Command’s request went on to read, “The scope of this effort is to provide familiarization of flight characteristics, capabilities and limitations of the foreign adversary rotary-wing and propeller driven aircraft,” according to the solicitation. “This will be accomplished by having accessibility to two foreign adversary contractor-provided aircraft that shall participate in certain exercise events as part of a realistic opposing force.”

The request for the opposing forces helicopters will include up to five annual training operations and a maximum of 40 total hours of flight time in VFR (daylight, fair weather Visual Flight Rules) conditions. Of further interest is a notation indicating interest in fixed wing aircraft. Russian fixed wing aircraft such as the Sukhoi Su-27 have already been observed and photographed flying over the Nellis Training Range in Nevada.

In the combined air/ground combat role most commonly performed by the US Marine Corps one relevant adversary aircraft for threat simulation may include the Sukhoi Su-25 (NATO codename “Frogfoot”), although no specific information indicates an interest in the Su-25 from the US Marines.

A remarkable 57 countries currently use the Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter, built at the Mil Helicopter Plant in Moscow, Russia. The aircraft is infamous in western nations for its rugged survivability and significant combat capability. The request for actual Mi-24 Hind helicopters seems to acknowledge the type’s unique and significant capabilities as a potential adversary.

There are currently at least two Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters privately owned in the US by the Lancaster Air Museum in Lancaster, Texas. The aircraft fly frequently at events and airshows around the country.

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The Marine Corps is relying on 3D printing for new parts as it scrambles to prepare for winter warfare

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• The Marine Corps is rolling out an array of new weaponry in the near future.
• One important piece of that is the Corps' new sniper rifle, which replaces a rifle that's been in use since the mid-1960s.
• Marines are touting the new rifle as "an incredible win" that will give snipers an edge on the battlefield.

The Marine Corps confirmed in early April that its snipers would get the Mk13 Mod 7 sniper rifle to replace the M40 rifle, versions of which the Corps' snipers have been carrying since the early days of the Vietnam War.

The Mk13 is scheduled to be fielded in late 2018 and throughout 2019, according to a Marine Corps release. And after Marines from active duty, reserve, and training units tried out the new rifle at the beginning of April, they were pleased with the new addition to the arsenal.

"After the first day on the range, they were sold," project officer Capt. Frank Coppola said in the release.

Lt. Col. Paul Gillikin, Infantry Weapons team lead at Marine Corps Systems Command, said the most recent version of the M40, the M40A6, would remain in use for training and as an alternate, but, he noted, "When the Mk13 Mod 7 is fielded, it will be the primary sniper rifle in the Marine Corps."

Putting the Mk13 into wider use will also add commonality to the Corps' equipment and give Marine scout snipers the same capabilities as NATO forces.

The bolt-action Mk13 was already the primary sniper rifle for Marine Corps Special Operations Command. Feedback from MARSOC use, as well as an assessment by MCSC and a year of use by scout snipers from 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, who took it on a deployment, led the Corps to adopt the new weapon.

Former snipers told Marine Corps Times that the M40's range — nearly 1,000 yards, less than the military's other rifles — wasn't sufficient for battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan. One said the April decision was a "long time coming." (Fighting in Afghanistan has also revealed the shortcomings of the standard 5.56 mm rifle round.)

The Mk13 will add more than 300 yards to scout snipers' range, taking it beyond 1,000 yards, and the rifle's .300 Winchester Magnum caliber round is heavier and leaves the gun at a faster speed.

"The .300 Winchester Magnum round will perform better than the current 7.62 NATO ammo in flight, increasing the Marine Sniper's first-round probability of hit,” Chief Warrant Officer 3 Tony Palzkill, the battalion gunner for Infantry Training Battalion, said in the release. "This upgrade is an incredible win and will allow snipers to engage targets at greater distances."

The rifle will also be deployed with a better day optical device that offers better magnification and will improve snipers' ability to locate and fire on targets.

"The new day optic allows for positive identification of enemies at greater distances, and it has a grid-style reticle that allows for rapid reengagement without having to dial adjustments or 'hold' without a reference point," said Sgt. Randy Robles, Quantico Scout Sniper School instructor and MCSC liaison.

"With this type of weapon in the fleet, we will increase our lethality and be able to conceal our location because we are creating a buffer between us and the enemy," Robles added.

Marine Corps documents for the fiscal year 2018 defense budget included nearly $4.3 million for the Mk13, according to Marine Corps Times, which reported that the service plans to buy 356 of the new rifles.

The Corps' 2019 budget proposal included a little less than $1 million to acquire 116 of the M110A1 Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper System rifles that the Army is adopting, though the Marine Corps said at the time that the M110A1 was not intended to replace the M40A6. Marines themselves were also critical of the CSASS, which has a maximum range less than the M40A6.

New sniper rifles are just one change the Marine Corps is seeking to make.

The service is distributing the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle to more Marines — and buying them at a lower cost after lawmakers complained about the price — and has made room in its budget to buy 35,000 of the new sidearm the Army has acquired. It's also looking at a new antitank round, eyeing a new version of the 84 mm Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle, and requesting information about lightweight .50-caliber rounds.

The Corps is also shaking up its unit formations, getting rid of the 0351 infantry assaultman specialty and lowering the number of Marines in each squad to 12 from the current 13, while adding two new leadership positions.

SEE ALSO: US Marines are stationed in Norway to help deter Russia, and Norway may ask them to stay longer

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NOW WATCH: Step aboard the USS Kearsarge, the US Navy workhorse that takes Marines to war

Step aboard the USS Kearsarge, the US Navy workhorse that takes Marines to war

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NOW WATCH: Step aboard the USS Kearsarge, the US Navy workhorse that takes Marines to war

The US Marine Corps started issuing the Glock 19M pistol to marines, which they call the M007, in May 2017.

“The M007 has a smaller frame and is easier to conceal, making it a natural selection to meet the Marine Corps' conceal carry weapon requirement,” Gunnery Sgt. Brian Nelson said in a November 2017 Marines Corps Systems Command press release. 

And since the Corps continually upgrades and adds new weapons to its arsenal, we reached out to the Marines Corps Systems Command, which is in charge of all acquisitions for the Corps, to find out which standard issue weapons it currently gives to Marines. 

Check them out below:

SEE ALSO: Here's every weapon the US Army gives to its soldiers

1. Beretta M9 pistol

The Beretta M9 is a 9mm semi-automatic pistol.

2. Beretta M9A1 pistol

Specifically designed for the Corps, the Beretta M9A1 is an upgrade to the M9.

The M9A1 a little heavier than the M9, and has extra features, such as a sand-resistant magazine and a Picatinny MIL-STD-1913 rail under the barrel for accessories and more. 

3. Colt M45A1 close quarters battle pistol

The Colt M45A1 is .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol that the Corps started purchasing in 2012. 

• More than 20 people went missing in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, between February and mid-May.
• The area is one of the most violent in Mexico, and marines deployed there to fight crime have been accused of involvement in the disappearances.
• Tens of thousands of people have gone missing in Mexico over the past decade, and official involvement is often suspected.

The United Nations and Mexicans have called on the Mexican government to end a wave of disappearances in Nuevo Laredo, a violence-wracked city on the border with Texas.

The UN said at the end of May that 21 men and two women had disappeared in Nuevo Laredo between February and May 16 and that there are "strong indications that these crimes have been committed by federal security forces." Other groups have put the number much higher.

"We have documented 56 forced disappearances from January 20 to May 21," Raymundo Ramos, president of the nongovernmental Nuevo Laredo Human Rights Committee, told the Associated Press. "The majority are attributed to personnel from special operations of the navy."

Mexico's National Human Rights Commission said it had received complaints regarding the disappearance of 31 people since February, seven of them minors.

Families of some of those missing told the UN their relatives had been taken away by personnel in uniform, often at night, at dawn, or as they walked along roads around the city.

"Many of these people are reported to have been arbitrarily detained and disappeared while going about their daily lives," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said. "It is particularly horrific that at least five of the victims are minors, with three of them as young as 14."

"These crimes, perpetrated over four months in a single municipality, are outrageous," he said.

Nuevo Laredo sits at the northern end of Tamaulipas, a particularly violent area in one of Mexico's most violent states. It was long the stronghold of the Gulf cartel and its armed wing, which broke away and became the Zetas cartel in the late 2000s. Fighting between and within those groups has plagued the state.

Those groups are believed to have extensive ties to the government and local security forces. They have expanded beyond drug trafficking, targeting extractive industries, exploiting migrants, and developing extortion rackets.

Nuevo Laredo, where a Zeta faction called the Northeast cartel is dominant, has been a focal point for violence. The Mexican navy, of which the marines are part, is the primary security presence in the city, and civilians have been caught in their clashes with criminal groups.

On March 25, marines were ambushed by gunmen three times, killing a marine and wounding several others. A helicopter was called in during the third shootout, and a car carrying a family of five was fired upon, killing the mother and two daughters.

The Mexican navy initially denied responsibility, but after an expert said the shots came from overhead, it admitted the helicopter had accidentally fired on the family.

Ramos said the disappearances started after that.

On March 27, Jessica Molina, a US citizen, said"six men in official Mexican marine uniforms" stormed into her home in Nuevo Laredo and interrogated her and her husband. She said the marines, who did not identify themselves, asked if they knew about the helicopter incident and then took her husband away.

"They were aiming at our heads the whole time," she told the AP. "They can deny what happened, but what I saw were well-trained, uniformed personnel."

She and other families have joined to search for hidden graves along dirt roads around the city. Federal police and the navy have offered help but have mostly failed to follow through.

During the last week of May, there were reports of attacks and threats against witnesses and relatives of the disappeared. "They want them to stop making complaints," Ramos told Reuters.

"If the navy is here to protect us, what are they doing to avoid these disappearances?" Molina said. "How can this be happening in spite of their presence here?"

At the beginning of June, Mexican federal prosecutors said investigations of the disappearances in Nuevo Laredo would be taken over by the federal prosecutors' office on forced disappearances.

'Nuevo Laredo is a litmus test'

More than 200,000 people have been killed since Mexico ramped up its war on drugs and organized crime in 2007.

Over that period, more than 30,000 people have gone missing — nearly 6,000 disappearances have been officially recorded in Tamaulipas, more than any other state, though many say the real number is much higher.

State officials began a first-of-its-kind exhumation project in early 2017, examining the remains of an estimated 350 people buried in a grave in Miguel Aleman, just west of Nuevo Laredo. A similar initiative is underway in Chihuahua state, which saw some of the most intense violence in Mexico between 2008 and 2012.

Such sites exist around Mexico, and security forces and government officials are often suspected of involvement in disappearances or of stymieing investigations.

In early June, a court in Tamaulipas recently ordered another investigation into the 2014 disappearance of 43 college students from the Ayotzinapa normal school in Guerrero state, saying the original investigation was sloppy, lacked independence, and suspects' rights were violated through torture.

The bodies of the disappeared Ayotzinapa students have not been found, and the incident has galvanized intense public backlash against the government.

The spate of disappearances in Nuevo Laredo comes after the federal government passed the General Law on Disappearances, which created a national commission to track and investigate such crimes.

"It is extremely worrying that these enforced disappearances are taking place just a few months after" the law's adoption, saidAl Hussein, the UN high commissioner.

"What has been happening in Nuevo Laredo is a litmus test of whether this new law actually represents the change its adoption promises or whether enforced disappearances, followed by impunity and a lack of reparation to the victims, will continue."

SEE ALSO: Another major Mexican company is shutting down some of its operations amid record levels of violence

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One of the warships that the US Navy showed off at Fleet Week in New York City in May was the USS Arlington, a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship. 

And I got a chance to go aboard. 

Amphibious transport dock ships (LPDs) "are used to transport and land Marines, their equipment and supplies by embarked Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) or conventional landing craft and amphibious assault vehicles (AAV) augmented by helicopters or vertical take-off and landing aircraft (MV 22),"according to the US Navy. 

The US Navy also displayed an AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter and a UH-1Y Venom helicopter on the Arlington's flight deck. 

Check it out below:

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Built by Northrop Grumman, the USS Arlington was commissioned in 2013.

Northrop Grumman is one of the largest defense contractors and political donors in the US.

Source: US Navy

It's about 684 feet long, 105 feet wide and has a maximum displacement of 25,883 tons.

Source: US Navy

Powered by four Colt-Pielstick diesel engines, San Antonio-class ships have a maximum speed of 24.2 miles per hour.

Source: US Navy

Since 1996, "the Crucible" has been the subject of Marine recruits' nightmares. It serves as the final test you must complete in order to officially and finally earn the title of United States Marine. During this 54-hour event, your platoon is split into squads, each led by one of your drill instructors, and each recruit must take a crack at being squad leader.

Throughout boot camp, you become accustomed to getting 8 hours of sleep and enjoying 3 meals per day, but during the Crucible, you'll get just 6 hours of rest and three MREs to last you the whole 54-hour period. You'll have to face down physical challenges throughout the day to test your mettle and see if you really have what it takes to be a Marine.

Here are some tips for surviving.

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1. Work as a team

Most of the challenges you're going to face are team-based. You and the other recruits have developing individual strengths throughout boot camp, but you may not yet have developed great teamwork skills. The Crucible will, essentially, force you to figure it out.

2. Take charge

When you're selected to be the squad leader, be loud, be firm, and don't be afraid to use the powerful voice you've spent the last three months perfecting.

3. Plan your meals

For the love of Chesty Puller, don't scarf down your only meal for the day. Divide up your snacks and save the main meal. It sucks, but it's better than going hungry in the second half because you ate everything during the first.

Every Marine is a rifleman — we all know this to be true. One Marine and his rifle can deliver a world of hurt unto the bad guys. But it's been a long time since Marines have relied on rifles alone to complete the mission.

In fact, Marines often employ guns that are a heck of a lot bigger than an M16 rifle, like the M777 howitzer. The M16 fires a 5.56mm round. The M777 fires 155mm rounds — nearly 28 times larger. If a Marine delivers a world of hurt with a rifle, then they deliver an entire galaxy of pain with a howitzer.

But, just as with rifles, learning how to use a howitzer requires practice — the sort of practice best done at large-scale war games.

Believe it or not, it's a lot more complicated than just pointing the howitzer at the enemy, loading it, and pulling the lanyard.

The M777 weighs over 8,250 pounds and fires shells at targets up to 19 miles away with a normal HE round (other rounds have a longer range). This gun is operated by a crew of seven, each of whom play an essential role in sending rounds (very far) down range.

This howitzer has been used by American troops since 2005 and has seen plenty of action in Iraq and Afghanistan, where both soldiers and Marines have used this big gun to take out al-Qaeda, ISIS, and the Taliban. This British design has also been acquired by Australia, India, Saudi Arabia, and Canada. Funnily enough, British troops don't use this big gun.

One motivated Marine with his rifle is bad news for the enemy — now imagine what seven motivated Marines can do with a howitzer!

Check out the video below to watch Marines practice with the M777 howitzer during this year's Saber Strike exercise in Latvia.

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A Marine who was accused of marching with white supremacists and attacking a protester at last year’s “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, was found guilty a summary court-martial on Monday, officials told Task & Purpose.

• Lance Cpl. Vasillios Pistolis was sentenced to 28 days of confinement, reduction in rank to E-1, and forfeiture of two-thirds pay for one month, 1st Lt. Samir J. Glenn-Roundtree told Task & Purpose, adding that the Marine will be afforded seven days to submit a request for clemency.
• Pistolis had been charged with failure to obey an order or regulation and making a false official statement under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, T&P was informed on earlier on Monday.
• ProPublica reported in May that Pistolis is a member of a neo-Nazi group and bragged in an online chat room about attacking a woman at the Aug. 12, 2017 rally.
• Pistolis is assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion-8, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
• Two other Marines from Camp Lejeune were arrested in May 2017 for flying a white supremacist banner at a pro-confederate rally in Graham, North Carolina. Sgt. Michael Chesny was administratively separated from the Marine Corps on April 11 for taking part in “extremist activities;” and Staff Sgt. Joseph Manning was discharged on Dec. 8, 2017, Corps officials told Task & Purpose.

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The M16A4 was the standard service rifle for the Marine Corps until October 2015, when it was decided that the M4 Carbine would replace them in infantry battalions. For whatever reason, civilians tend to think the M16A4 is awesome when, in reality, it's actually despised by a lot of Marines.

Now, the M16A4 is, by far, not the worst weapon, but it didn't exactly live up to the expectations laid out for it. They're accurate and the recoil is as soft as being hit in the shoulder with a peanut, so it certainly has its place. But when Marines spend a considerable amount of time in rainy or dusty environments, they'll find it's not the most reliable rifle.

Here are some of the major complaints Marines have about the weapon:

SEE ALSO: The Marine Corps is rolling out its first new sniper rifle since the Vietnam War — and 'this upgrade is an incredible win'

1. They get rusty very easily

For a weapon that's supposed to be used in "every clime and place," these rifles seem to get rust like boots get married — way too quickly. This just means that you should carry some CLP and scrub it off regularly — another task to add to the pile.

2. Cleaning is a headache

Outside of problems with rust, the chamber gets caked with carbon after firing a single magazine. This is yet another thing you'll have to spend time cleaning. And when you break the rifle down, you're going to find carbon has found its way into every possible small space.

3. Jams are too common

If there's a bit of dirt in the chamber, prepare for some double feeds or stove-pipe jams. This might just be the fact that many of these rifles have been worn down from participating in two separate combat theaters, but the fact remains: your gun will jam.

• A U.S. Army artillery unit is pounding Islamic State fighters inside Syria from a remote desert camp just inside Iraq.
• About 150 Marines and soldiers appear to be stationed at the base, in addition to Iraqi forces.
• Little has been made public in recent months about the U.S. military's use of temporary fire bases to continue the ISIS fight.

A U.S. Army artillery unit is pounding Islamic State fighters inside Syria from a remote desert camp just inside Iraq.

Soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment artillery unit have been operating alongside Iraqi artillery units at a temporary fire support base in northwest Iraq near the Syrian border for the past several weeks, according to a recent Defense Department news release.

U.S. soldiers, Marines and sailors helped Iraqi forces build the camp by as part of Operation Inherent Resolve's support of Operation Roundup, a major offensive by Syrian Democratic Forces aimed at clearing the middle Euphrates River Valley of entrenched, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria fighters.

The U.S. military previously made use of rapidly built fire bases to insert artillery power earlier in the campaign against ISIS. In 2016, a detachment of Marines departed the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group to establish such a location, Fire Base Bell, in northern Iraq. The position, which was later renamed and manned by Army forces, helped U.S. troops intensify the assault on the ISIS stronghold of Mosul.

It would come under enemy attack soon after its establishment, resulting in the death of Marine Staff Sgt. Louis Cardin, the first Marine to die in combat against ISIS.

Little has been made public in recent months about the U.S. military's use of temporary fire bases to continue the ISIS fight. But NPR published a brief report Monday about a "remote outpost" on the border of Iraq and Syria that seems to be the one described in the recent Defense Department release.

Some 150 Marines and soldiers are stationed there, NPR reported, in addition to Iraqi forces.

In the release, troops stationed at the fire base described the satisfaction of working side-by-side with Iraqi units.

"The most satisfying moment in the mission, so far, was when all three artillery units, two Iraqi and one U.S., executed simultaneous fires on a single target location," said Maj. Kurt Cheeseman, Task Force Steel operations officer and ground force commander at the fire support base, in the release.

Language barriers forced U.S. and Iraqi artillery units to develop a common technical language to coordinate fire missions that involved both American and Iraqi artillery pieces.

"This mission required the use of multiple communications systems and the translation of fire commands, at the firing point, directing the Iraqi Army guns to prepare for the mission, load and report, and ultimately fire," 1st Lt. Andrea Ortiz Chevres, Task Force Steel fire direction officer, said in the release.

The Iraqi howitzer unit used different procedures to calculate the firing data needed to determine the correct flight path to put rounds on target.

"In order to execute coalition fire missions, we had to develop a calculation process to translate their firing data into our mission data to validate fires prior to execution," Cheeseman said in the release.

Sgt. 1st Class Isaac Hawthorne, Task Force Steel master gunner, added that Iraqi forces are "eager to work with the American M777 howitzer and fire direction crews and share artillery knowledge and procedures," according to the release.

It’s not clear from the release when the base was created or how long it has been active. With little infrastructure and no permanent buildings, troops face temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the desert.

"They are enduring harsh weather conditions and a lack of luxuries but, unlike previous deployments for many, each element is performing their core function in a combat environment," Cheeseman said in the release. "The fire support base is a perfect example of joint and coalition execution that capitalizes on the strengths of each organization to deliver lethal fires, protect our force and sustain operations across an extended operational reach."

Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force units provided planners, personnel and equipment to create the austere base, built on a bare patch of desert and raised by hand. Coalition partners from several different nations participated in the planning and coordination of the complex movement of supplies.

"Supplies were delivered from both air and ground by the Army, Air Force and Marines, and include delivery platforms such as medium tactical vehicles, UH-60 Black Hawks, CH-47 Chinooks, CV-22 Ospreys, C-130 Hercules and a C-17 Globemaster," 1st Lt. Ashton Woodard, a troop executive officer in Task Force Longknife, said in the release. "We receive resupply air drops that include food, water, fuel, and general supplies."

One of the most vital missions involved setting up a security perimeter to provide stand-off and protection for the U.S. and Iraqi artillery units.

"Following 10 days of around-the-clock labor in intense environmental conditions, the most satisfying moment was seeing the completion of the physical security perimeter," said one Marine working security at the fire base, according to the release.

SEE ALSO: This is the huge M777 howitzer that US Marines burned out while fighting ISIS in Syria

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If you've read the book Saipan: Suicide Island, watched the movie Hell to Eternity, or you're a World War II buff, then you may have heard of the heroic actions of Corporal Guy Gabaldon.

However, there are many who don't know about the remarkable, true story of Corporal Gabaldon, a US Marine who earned the Navy Cross after single-handedly capturing around 1,500 Japanese soldiers during the Battles of Saipan and Tinian.

Here is his full story:

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The Barrett M107 .50-caliber long-range sniper rifle is a firearm made for the modern war on terrorism. Officially adopted by the U.S. Army in 2002 and boasting a 2,000-meter range, a suppressor-ready muzzle brake, and recoil-minimizing design, the semi-automatic offers "greater range and lethality against personnel and materiel targets than other sniper systems in the U.S. inventory," according to an assessment by Military.com.

While Barrett's reputation of "flawless reliability" has made the M107 the sniper weapon of choice, the rifle is just like any other essential tool: It often breaks when you need it most. And that's apparently what happened to one Marine Corps unit pinned down in a firefight, according to one of Barrett's longtime armorers.

Don Cook, a Marine veteran who's been maintaining M107s for more than two decades, told National Geographic in 2011 that he one day received a call to Barrett's workshop from a harried young Marine. During maintenance of the unit's M107, the Marine had bent the ears of the rifle's lower receiver; the next day, after engaging the enemy, they discovered the rifle wouldn't fire consistently.

Despite the unit's lack of tools (and time), Cook knew exactly what to do. The armorer instructed the Marines to use the bottom of the carrier to bend the ears back down. Within 45 seconds, the weapon was firing properly. "Thank you very much," Cook says they told him, then he heard a dial tone. They had a firefight to get back to.

"It's probably one of the biggest highlights of my life, to be able to help a Marine unit during a firefight," Cook told National Geographic.

Watch Cook describe the phone call (starting at 9:26):

SEE ALSO: Here are all the standard issue weapons given to US Marines

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• Marines in Romania deployed to Bulgaria for combined-arms training this month.
• During the exercises, they worked on a little-used tactic to counter armor and other vehicles.
• It comes as US forces boost their presence in Europe to prepare for a potential conflict with a near-peer military like Russia.

The US Marine Corps' Black Sea Rotational Force left its base in Romania for training in Bulgaria this month, carrying out exercises that are another sign the US military is preparing for a kind of conflict that's different from what it has faced in recent decades.

A Marine Forces Europe and Africa release issued earlier this month said units from the rotational force were headed to Bulgaria's Novo Selo training area, "where they would be able to take advantage of the rough, verdurous terrain for multiple training events."

"We deployed from the place where we're stationed at in Romania to this training area in Bulgaria. That way we can utilize the training areas out here that are a little better suited for the training that we're trying to accomplish," an unidentified Marine said in a video released this week by the command, first spotted by Marine Corps Times.

The Marines carried out a number of exercises focused on combined-arms proficiency and on building operational capacity.

"During this training event we had snipers conducting everything from unknown distance ranges to live-fire stalks," said 1st Lt. Daniel Kult, a combined anti-armor team (CAAT) platoon commander. "We also had our 81 mm mortar platoon conducting dismounted and mounted live-fire operations, both day and night."

"We have our combined-anti-armor platoon conducting high-angle Mark-19 fire, which is a new thing for us," the Marine said in the video. "It's not really done in the Marine Corps anymore."

High-angle fire with the Mark 19, an automatic grenade launcher that can fire up to 60 40mm grenades a minute, could come in handy if Marines engaged enemy personnel behind walls or other barriers, Marine Corps machine-gunners told the Times. Such fire could also be useful against Russian armor or other vehicles.

The gunners said that with skilled observers and good communications, high-angle fire — a skill taught at the Corps' advanced machine-gunner course — from Mark 19s could quickly be walked onto a target.

According to the release, platoons from Weapons Company from the 1st Battalion of the 6th Marine Regiment, typically work independently, making the joint exercises at Novo Selo a valuable opportunity.

"We don't always get together as a company and do these combined training events, so as a whole, it improves our unit cohesion," said Cpl. Benjamin Lepla, a forward observer. "Now we know how long it takes for every section to set up their equipment and assault the objective from different positions."

"The most important event that we're doing out here is the combined attack utilizing the entire company," Kult said. "It’s a unique opportunity because normally we’re all away from each other, either supporting other companies, or in direct support of the battalion."

NATO forces have increased their presence in Eastern Europe in the years since Russia began its incursion in Ukraine in 2014, and US military units in Europe have been boosting their capabilities.

Earlier this year, the Army's Ironhorse Brigade arrived for a rotation in Eastern Europe — but instead of sailing to Germany, the unit disembarked in Belgium for the first time in decades to practice traveling across the continent by road, rail, and barge.

During the most recent iteration of the Saber Strike Exercise, US armored units also practiced traveling across Eastern Europe and the Baltic states. During the exercise, Air Force A-10 Thunderbolts practiced rough landings on a highway in Estonia — a drill only recently restarted after being discontinued in the 1980s.

The US military has been shifting its attention to preparations for a potential conflict with near-peer competitors like China or Russia — a change outlined in the National Defense Strategy released earlier this year.

For the Marines, it also likely means a change in operational focus, away from the Middle East and toward the Pacific and northern and eastern Europe, Neller told Marines in Norway late last year.

He stressed that amid that shift, Marines should remain ready for a potential conflict, predicting a "big-ass fight" on the horizon, according to Military.com.

"I hope I'm wrong, but there's a war coming," he told the Marines in Norway, who are part of a new rotational force meant to expand training and boost readiness. "You're in a fight here, an informational fight, a political fight, by your presence."

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Fighting in the dark has always been a difficult task in warfare, but soldiers, sailors, and airmen today can conduct their operations at night almost as well as they can during the day thanks to the invention of night vision.

Whether on the decks of an aircraft carrier or destroyer, in the deserts of the Middle East and Afghanistan, or in the skies above it all, warfighting doesn't stop at night.

Photos captured while the US military performs nighttime training provide viewers with a unique look into the world of war. Military equipment, as well as the troops themselves, takes on distinct colors when seen outside the light of day.

Here are 26 striking photos of the US military operating at night:

The US Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey fires a Tomahawk land-attack missile.

A C-130 Hercules from the 36th Airlift Squadron conducts a night flight mission over Yokota Air Base in Japan.

Aircraft land aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise during nighttime flight operations in the Arabian Sea.

The Marine Corps has officially launched an investigation into a lance corporal who apparently attacked a protester at the Charlottesville “Unite The Right” rally while marching with white supremacist groups.

Lance Cpl. Vasillios Pistolis, 18, was outed as a member of a neo-Nazi group known as Atomwaffen Division in an article published Thursday by ProPublica. According to the site, Pistolis bragged about attacking a woman at the rally in Aug. 2017, where he was photographed in a black track suit carrying a Confederate battle flag.

Pistolis, a water support technician, is currently on active duty serving with Combat Logistics Battalion-8, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Multiple calls to leaders in the Marine’s unit went unanswered.

1st Lt. Samir Gleen-Roundree, a spokesman for 2nd MLG, told Task & Purpose an investigation has been initiated.

Here’s the full statement:

“2nd Marine Logistics Group was made aware of an allegation pertaining to a Marine in an MLG unit potentially involved in a supremacist organization.

This matter is being reviewed by the command, and an investigation has been opened by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) to determine the facts surrounding the allegation.

Participation in extremist activities or organizations is inconsistent with the core values of the Marine Corps. 2nd MLG takes this allegation seriously, and the matter is under investigation.”

Jeff Schogol contributed reporting.

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The Marine Corps is hoping industry can make lightweight .50 caliber ammunition that provides machine-gunners with a 30 percent weight savings over existing linked belts of .50 caliber ammo.

Marine Corps Systems Command recently released a request for information to see if commercial companies have the capability to produce lightweight .50 caliber ammo that "will provide a weight savings when compared to the current M33 .50 cartridge in the DODIC A555 linked configuration," according to the document released on FedBizOpps.gov.

"A belt of 100 Lightweight .50 Caliber cartridges with 101 links shall have a threshold overall weight of 24.6 lbs. or 15 percent weight savings compared to the legacy A555 configuration," the document states. "A belt of 100 lightweight cartridges with 101 links shall have an objective overall weight savings of more than 20.3 lbs. or 30 percent compared to the legacy A555 configuration."

Lightweight ammunition is not a new concept. Commercial companies continue to work new methods to lighten one of the heaviest necessities of warfare.

The Chesapeake Cartridge Corporation showed off its new line of nickel ammunition at SHOT Show 2018 in Las Vegas. The shell casings, made of aluminum-plated nickel alloy, are lighter and stronger that traditional brass casings, Ed Collins, Chesapeake's director for business development, told Military.com in January.

The company is working toward creating ammunition that's 50 percent lighter than conventional brass ammo. Currently, the company makes military calibers such as 9mm, 5.56mm and 7.62mm NATO, but it plans to make it in additional calibers in the future.

Companies such as PCP Ammunition make polymer-cased ammunition, which offers up to a 30 percent weight savings compared to brass-cased ammo. Textron Systems makes case-telescoped weapons and ammunition. The ammo concept relies on plastic case rather than a brass one to hold the propellant and the projectile, like a conventional shotgun shell.

Over the past decade, the US Army has invested heavily in Textron's concept, formerly known as Light Weight Small Arms Technology. Textron doesn't currently make .50-caliber, case-telescoped ammunition, but its 5.56mm CT ammo weighs about 37 percent less than standard belted 5.56mm.

Companies have until June 1 to respond to the RFI, the document states.

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A report in the Marine Corps Times from Friday, April 27 by journalist Kyle Rempfer revealed that the US Marine Corps Air Ground Task Force Training Command has filed a solicitation for contractors to provide Russian-built Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter or an Mi-17 Hip transport helicopter to serve as accurate opposing forces threat simulation aircraft.

The aircraft would be equipped with electronic tracking pods for integration into simulated combat exercises at the MCAS Yuma Range and Training Area (RTA), a large training facility in the Arizona desert. The Yuma Range and Training Area accurately replicates current and potential threat environments throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

According to Rempfer’s report for the Marine Corps Times, the solicitation read in part, “The [Mi-24] attack helicopter, due to its size, flight profile, firepower and defensive maneuvering capabilities, constitutes a unique threat creating a realistic, dissimilar and credible opposing force.”

In their potential role as a technically realistic opposing force flying against US Marine ground forces in training the helicopters would accurately replicate the threat capabilities of many potential adversary forces.

While the Mi-24 attack helicopter is primarily an air-to-ground attack helicopter the report also mentioned a potential role for any Russian helicopters acquired or contracted as providing a simulated opposing force capability against US Marine Helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft to possibly include the UH-1Y Venom, AH-1Z Super Cobra and MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor.

The US Marine Training Command’s request went on to read, “The scope of this effort is to provide familiarization of flight characteristics, capabilities and limitations of the foreign adversary rotary-wing and propeller driven aircraft,” according to the solicitation. “This will be accomplished by having accessibility to two foreign adversary contractor-provided aircraft that shall participate in certain exercise events as part of a realistic opposing force.”

The request for the opposing forces helicopters will include up to five annual training operations and a maximum of 40 total hours of flight time in VFR (daylight, fair weather Visual Flight Rules) conditions. Of further interest is a notation indicating interest in fixed wing aircraft. Russian fixed wing aircraft such as the Sukhoi Su-27 have already been observed and photographed flying over the Nellis Training Range in Nevada.

In the combined air/ground combat role most commonly performed by the US Marine Corps one relevant adversary aircraft for threat simulation may include the Sukhoi Su-25 (NATO codename “Frogfoot”), although no specific information indicates an interest in the Su-25 from the US Marines.

A remarkable 57 countries currently use the Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter, built at the Mil Helicopter Plant in Moscow, Russia. The aircraft is infamous in western nations for its rugged survivability and significant combat capability. The request for actual Mi-24 Hind helicopters seems to acknowledge the type’s unique and significant capabilities as a potential adversary.

There are currently at least two Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters privately owned in the US by the Lancaster Air Museum in Lancaster, Texas. The aircraft fly frequently at events and airshows around the country.

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