Im no fan of the M9 but this guy makes some valid points.
http://kitup.military.com/2008/02/what-is-a-comba.html?ESRC=dod.nl
http://kitup.military.com/2008/02/what-is-a-comba.html?ESRC=dod.nl
Hell, wasnt too long ago that supressed .22's were being used. I wouldnt be suprised if they are not still being used.
Why are we "developing" a new weapon? That is absurd! There are so many reliable, economical, dependable, ready to go out of the box weapons out there. (Glock, Springfield XD) Let's be a little more fiscally responsible than that. And I agree that the trainability of the weapon is of most importance, not every unit has the time or ammo to dedicate to pistol training.
We should be focused on improving the primary weapons rather than the secondary pistol.
A combat handgun? That could be just any handgun that us used in an offensive nature.
Is there a need for one, sure there is. Just which one? That is the million dollar question. We issue Glock 22's. Some people love em, some cant shoot em for shit and some just dont care at all.
Whatever is picked has to fit not only the shooter but the environment to be used it, fit the roll its needed in and be of sufficient caliber to get the job done.
That then opens the other can of worms. Just what caliber? 9mm, 45ACP, .40 or something else. Hell, wasnt too long ago that supressed .22's were being used. I wouldnt be suprised if they are not still being used.