This is a special report from Military Times:

Fielding new boots and long underwear was one thing. replacing the 40-year-old M16 family would prove to be a far tougher fight.

DoD and Army documents obtained by Army Times reveal that conflicts among the Army commands that must sign off on weapons development doomed the XM8 to fail before testers fired a round from the first prototype.

Individuals with intimate knowledge of the failed effort paint a picture of an ambitious crusade against an unbending requirements-and-acquisition system — a behemoth many blame for an atmosphere that places a low priority on what has always been the soldier’s most valued possession — the rifle.