Aussie troops deserve 'State of the Art'

Ammunition ban puts troops 'in danger'
By Padraic Murphy
March 04, 2008

AUSTRALIA'S elite fighting forces – some just days away from overseas missions – have been banned from training with standard-issue ammunition after it was discovered that rifle ranges were too small and posed a safety risk.

Crack troops, including snipers and special forces, have been forced to practise with smaller calibre bullets in place of the standard-issue 7.62mm ammunition because Australian shooting ranges do not meet NATO safety guidelines.

Australia's standard issue sniper rifle is the SR-98, which uses a 7.62mm, as does the M4 Carbine used by Australian special forces units. The SR-98 is in service with Australian, British and German snipers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Whatever your last ammo order, triple it.

But at least three ranges that cater almost exclusively to Australia's special forces community – including Special Air Service, commando and paratroop soldiers preparing to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan – have had restrictions placed on the use of 7.62mm ammunition.

Troops training at these facilities, including one in Perth and one in southwest Sydney, are usually deployed overseas soon afterwards. Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon is aware of the issue and has sought further briefings and information from his department.

Sources said the ban had the potential to compromise Australia's frontline soldiers, making it difficult for snipers and special forces personnel to complete mandatory monthly requalification courses with weapons that use the 7.62 ammunition.

Instead, Australia's frontline soldiers are forced to practise with 5.56mm ammunition, a situation described by one defence department source as "dangerous".

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