Debate Obama : Bayonets in use by the military

["DoubleAction"]

"Obama debate jab implies bayonets obsolete, but don't tell it to the Marines"

Obama brought up bayonets by way of chiding Mitt Romney for calling proposed military cuts devastating.

"You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916,” Obama said. “Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military's changed."
Read more:

www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/23/bayonets-still-standard-issue-despite-obama-debate-jab/#ixzz2AAR4UxZ

Read more:

www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/23/bayonets-still-standard-issue-despite-obama-debate-jab/#ixzz2AAQ2DU3q

www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/10/22/During-Debate-Obama-Was-Wrong-on-Bayonets-Horses-Naval-Ships-and-Submarines

www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/individual/bayonet.html

["DoubleAction"]

United States Army
Basic Training Operating Instructions

Rifle Bayonet Training

usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/arbasicpol/blbayonet.htm

.......Has the Army eliminated bayonet training ?

March 11, 2011

“There’s never going to be a day when we issue a pistol to every soldier, and traditionally a soldier’s secondary weapon has been his blade – his knife or bayonet,” Larsen said.

The new technique was demonstrated during last year’s Association of the United States Army convention in Washington. A soldier approached an attacker, who grabbed the end of his rifle. In the ensuing scuffle, the soldier grabbed his bayonet from a sheath on his leg and stabbed the attacker into submission.

Despite the change in training, Larsen has not heard of units issuing the bayonet to soldiers again.

“What I have seen is they are teaching it now in basic [training], but it’s a trickle-up effect coming from basic,” he said. “In fact, I’m in Iraq right now and one of the things I’m doing is showing units this new doctrine.”

www.stripes.com/blogs/the-rumor-doctor/the-rumor-doctor-1.104348/has-the-army-eliminated-bayonet-training-1.137356

U.S. Army Basic Training

The rigors of Basic Training include intense competition between different companies in the BCT on all manners of topics including bayonet course, obstacle course, and APFT scores. By winning certain events or scoring top times, your company will earn streamers to hang from its guidon.

www.baseops.net/basictraining/army.html

["DoubleAction"]

"Allen West: We used bayonets in Iraq and horses in Afghanistan"

www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/2chambers/wp/2012/10/23/allen-west-we-used-bayonets-in-iraq-and-horses-in-afghanistan/

Oct 23, 2012

......."How Many Bayonets Does the U.S. Have? Quite A Few"

The Army said today it has 419,155 bayonets in its inventory. The Marine Corps has another 195,334 bayonets that it bought in 2004 and it plans on buying 175,061 more bayonets this year. A Marine official says it’s not accurate to add the two totals together as the new ones will include replacements for ones already in service as well as additional stocks.

abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/how-many-bayonets-does-the-u-s-have-quite-a-few/

.........."About Those Horses and Bayonets" :

thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/23/about-those-horses-and-bayonets/

www.sfgate.com/business/bloomberg/article/War-Horses-Fade-Into-History-Even-as-Marines-3975138.php

[blueglass]

I do believe there's still a use for the Bayonet but limited to certain functions only. Usually the rifle has taken care of the closet perps to the soldier involved and the Bayonet is a last ditch resort to tool at very close combat only. I have a Russian SKS but have removed the Bayonet as a bipod was much more useful to me then the blade could ever be.