Marine Corps Rifle Qualification Is Getting Its First Major Overhaul in More Than 100 Years
Marines with Weapons Training Battalion conduct the Annual Rifle Qualification train-the-trainer course on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., Feb. 17, 2021. (Rachael A Treon/U.S. Marine Corps)
24 Feb 2021
Marine Corps marksmanship officials this week rolled out the final version of a new, more realistic rifle qualification course that will force Marines to put lethal hits on stationary and moving targets the same as they would in combat.
Beginning Oct. 1, all active-duty Marines and sailors assigned to Fleet Marine Force will qualify with the demanding new Annual Rifle Qualification, or ARQ a course of fire designed to assess how shooters use fundamental marksmanship principles to apply lethal force on modern targets with lethal zones marked on the chest and head.
Why It s Going to Be Much Harder to Make Expert Under the Marines New Rifle Qual Standard
U.S. Marines assume the kneeling position before firing on static targets during the Table 2 course of fire at Wilcox Rifle Range, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Sept. 20, 2018. (U.S. Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Kerstin Roberts)
24 Feb 2021
U.S. Marines are known for their shooting ability, but marksmanship officials in the Corps expect to see expert rates plummet when troops begin attempting a new, combat-focused rifle qualification course this fall.
As of Oct. 1, active-duty Marines will be required to qualify with the new Annual Rifle Qualification, or ARQ, a modernized course of fire crafted to replace the current Annual Rifle Training, or ART, qualification course, which has been used since the early 1900s.