Marine Corps looks to empower squad leaders with new combat tech: The Marine Corps is planning to field new high-tech combat gear — a rifle-mounted laser range finder — that will give squad leaders some extraordinary new capabilities and revolutionize the way the Corps’ small units operate in battle.
The laser range finders could for the first time allow infantry squad leaders to call in air strikes and artillery fire, a change that would vastly increase the lethality of small infantry units and push previously unheard of responsibility down to junior Marines at the squad level.
Specifically, the sophisticated laser range finder, which could cost nearly $10,000 each, would give squad leaders instant access to detailed information about distances and locations for targets that require heavy fires.
“A squad leader with accurate range data can quickly assign the appropriate force to eliminate threats,” said Chief Warrant Officer Five Mark R. Salmons, a Marine gunner, or infantry weapons officer.
