Marines can now use optical sights with pistols for qualifying

Marines can now use a 'red dot' optic when qualifying in the Combat Pistol Program, which is required for specific jobs and units that issue sidearms.

Jeff Schogol
Published Mar 20, 2026 7:56 AM EDT

Every Marine is a rifleman, but under new marksmanship rules announced this week, the few and the proud who also shoot pistols can now do so with an optic for the first time, Corps officials said.

A recent Marine Administrative Message, or MARADMIN, announced that Marines are allowed to use the M17 Romeo red dot optic for Combat Pistol Program qualifications. These types of optics use Light-Emitting Diodes, or LEDs, to project a dot at the point of aim. Military Times was the first to report on the MARADMIN...

Complete article:

https://taskandpurpose.com/new...stol-qualifications/

Can anyone who is knowledgeable explain what “specific jobs and units” would be?

Well if you follow the link on that article it sends you to a little light reading. A 388 page official USMC doctrine on “physical security programs”. I quickly gathered it is base security among other things. 20 pages of skimming and my interest waned though. Good luck. lol

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
Can anyone who is knowledgeable explain what “specific jobs and units” would be?

When I was in (20 years ago) I was put on an M240 team.
So I was also issued a pistol to go along with the machine gun.
Cuz if you're lugging around this bigass rifle, you're not also gonna want to be carrying an M16 at the same time.
So instead you get a pistol.

I was also issued an M16 (because every marine is a rifleman).

I got in a little trouble with it all one day though.
We had a battalion hump coming up - like 15 miles or something with a big heavy pack.
You're always given a packing list of shit that you gotta carry with you for these things.
On the packing list was "Your issued weapon".

So I show up at the armory that day to get my "issued weapon" out... and I'm standing there and I get an idea.
Everyone is walking up to the armorer one by one and handing their little cards for their M16s - armorer goes and fetches the rifle and the Marine goes away with his issued weapon.
My turn comes up and I instead hand the guy the card for my pistol.
The dude looks at me and laughs "are you for real?".
I just grin back and say "hey man the packing list says issued weapon - this fits that description!"
So he runs off and brings me the pistol.
I attach it to my belt and go get in line with everyone else.
Various other marines notice my lack of rifle and we share a good laugh.

We then all go do the hump - at the very end of it,the company captain however decides that we didn't do a good enough job and rather than marching us back to the armory to turn in our weapons, he takes us all back to the company grounds to make us do more stuff.
We get there and we're all told "OK everyone go stack your rifles over there in the corner and then get back in formation"
So off we go.. everyone starts stacking rifles (this basically means leaning the rifles up against each other to form kind of a pyramid) and I'm standing there with this damn pistol... So I kind of just... place it on the ground underneath one of the stacks - then go get back in formation.

About an hour later one of the staff sergeants happens to walk past the rifle stacks.
"WHO THE FUCK BROUGHT A PISTOL TO THIS?!"
So of course everyone just kinda turns and looks at me while I raise my hand.
"THIS WASN'T ON THE PACKING LIST! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE YOUR RIFLE!"
"Actually ssgt... I have the list right here and it says..."

Amazingly I didn't receive any form of punishment for it - but damn that dude was mad at me.

quote:

Originally posted by creslin:

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
Can anyone who is knowledgeable explain what “specific jobs and units” would be?

When I was in (20 years ago) I was put on an M240 team.
So I was also issued a pistol to go along with the machine gun.
Cuz if you're lugging around this bigass rifle, you're not also gonna want to be carrying an M16 at the same time.
So instead you get a pistol.

I was also issued an M16 (because every marine is a rifleman).

I got in a little trouble with it all one day though.

I remember that trick. I would always make sure "that guy" carried the M240 on the next hike.

To the question about "specific jobs and units," that would be anyone in the Marine Corps who is required to qualify with the pistol. That includes all officers and usually Staff NCOs (E6 and above) if they are in a unit with an armed watch where they need to stand duty with a pistol. Years ago there were specific billets in an infantry battalion that only rated a pistol, not a rifle. That included machine gun crewmen, weapons platoon and mortar platoon commanders, company commanders, XOs, and 1stSgts. Around 2005 or 06 they started issuing rifles to everyone in infantry battalions and pistols became more of a second weapon for senior leaders. Eventually pistols shrank to not much more than duty weapons for the Officer of the Day and regular weapons for the military police and gate sentries.

In the past, MOS's such as Military Police, CID agents, Embassy Security Group, certain Intelligence roles, and specialized Aircrew positions qualified with a rifle/pistol. I am not sure if Civil Affairs falls under this or not.

This also included some Staff NCO's and Officers, but it was MOS dependent.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Marines and how they operate, nothing in this directive actually means they are going to issue these sights.

There's also a greater number of pistols (and I assume pistol optics) among the Marine Corps' special operations units like the Raiders and the second tier special operations capable units like Force Recon and Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Teams.

The MSOBs and Army SFG ODAs were some of the most early green side adopters. And that’s going back 5-6 years that I know of.

But even the MSOBs in the last few years have not been immune from the retardation of poor leadership. “I dont care if SOCOM gave you better equipment, I had better see shined boots, a clean shave and your 20 year old Knights NT4 on your rifle.”

I guess they have to issue new holsters, too?

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
Can anyone who is knowledgeable explain what “specific jobs and units” would be?

**for now** it looks like the “specific jobs” are going to be MARSOC, Reconnaissance & Force Reconnaissance, Marine Security Guards (Embassy Marines), FAST Co (Fleet Anti Terrorist Teams) and certain Military Police units.

Acquiring the equipment sounds interesting. It looks like that specific unit has to pay for the equipment, vs the $ coming from the Marine Corps total budget.
So if 3rd Recon Bn has extra $ at the end of the fiscal year, 3rd Recon Bn will purchase “X” number of units.

quote:

Originally posted by CPD SIG:
3rd Recon Bn will purchase “X” number of units.

And it totally depends on leadership in 3rd recon being on board with adopting them.

And I think this is where the Corps missed the mark. Too many in leadership refuse change. I think they had the opportunity to make the entire Marine Corps one big Ranger battalion on steroids with organic air and light attack support. But, they insidt on the “more with less” nonsense instead of being really good at one thing.

Did you know that active duty Marines (all MOS) can apply to USASOC. And if they pass Ranger school or SFAS, they get released from their marine contract to join the army?

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
“I dont care if SOCOM gave you better equipment, I had better see shined boots, a clean shave and your 20 year old Knights NT4 on your rifle.”

It took me a while to understand the mentality, but it finally dawned on me that when “leaders,” especially in the military, don’t understand something, they find something to focus on that they do understand. It was most obvious in counterintelligence units that were commanded by officers that had transferred in from other branches. “I don’t know anything about background investigations, but I sure can tell if a haircut or waistline meets standards.”

But then there was nothing new about that even 50 years ago when I saw it; e.g.:

“The easiest and quickest path into the esteem of traditional military authorities is by the appeal to the eye, rather than to the mind. The ‘polish and pipeclay’ school is not yet extinct, and it is easier for the mediocre intelligence to become an authority on buttons, than on tactics”.
— Captain Sir Basil Liddel Hart, Thoughts on War, ~1944.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
Did you know that active duty Marines (all MOS) can apply to USASOC. And if they pass Ranger school or SFAS, they get released from their marine contract to join the army?

Also possible for Marines to be selected for Delta Force. There have been a few over the years.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:

quote:

Originally posted by CPD SIG:
3rd Recon Bn will purchase “X” number of units.

And it totally depends on leadership in 3rd recon being on board with adopting them.

You’d be surprised! There has been a change in institutional thinking over the past few years.
“Will this make us more lethal?”
And not just in a Reconnaissance Bn, it’s Marine Corps wide. Let’s take these RDS’ for example.
Does “LCpl Joe Schmuckatelli, Motor Maintenance” need one? Probably not. “PFC Joe Shittheragman, 6th FAST Co” probably needs one more. Same with a Corporal in MSG Bn. / SSGT in Force Reconnaissance…

Take a look and ACOGs- a $1600 scope issued to everyone- Not just Infantry /Combat Arms MOS’!

I get the whole “WERE GONNA DO MORE WITH LESS!” fucked up attitude that “The Suck” has had… forever. Penny-pinching the hell out of the Budget. I don’t think that will change. And I do agree with “let’s not spend money just to spend money”. But there is that attitude of “Will this make us better?”

And ya gotta admit, that makes it better than when we were in!

There is at least one CAG operator sporting the trident on his Army dress uniform.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
Did you know that active duty Marines (all MOS) can apply to USASOC. And if they pass Ranger school or SFAS, they get released from their marine contract to join the army?

Also possible for Marines to be selected for Delta Force. There have been a few over the years.

quote:

Originally posted by SgtGold:
There is at least one CAG operator sporting the trident on his Army dress uniform.

You might be thinking of Master Sergeant Kevin Holland.

From 1989-1995 he served initially as a white side SEAL and later was a sniper in DEVGRU/Seal Team 6, before leaving the service. After 9/11 he attempted to rejoin ST6 but was rebuffed, so he joined the Army instead, qualified as a Green Beret, passed Delta selection, and served in CAG/Delta Force through 2013 before fully retiring with 20 years of service.

Does anyone else feel like Army dress uniforms are just missing that Wonder Bread endorsement and then they can talk about how good the 21 car ran today?

There's only three things on that Army uniform that aren't on the Marine dress uniforms. Can you spot them?

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
Does anyone else feel like Army dress uniforms are just missing that Wonder Bread endorsement and then they can talk about how good the 21 car ran today?

Ranger tab, Trident and Beret??????