Assume you were chairing the standing committee on new purchase of quarter million pistols for the USAF, and the recent purchase by marines was sited as good reliable pistol by the USAF. You would be very hard pressed to turn them down to a more economical pistol. In which event the recent purchase would be questioned. Dont you think so?
Well no, I would not be hard pressed to turn down a request by the USAF for 250,000 Colt made 1911s with rails because no such request has been made or will be made. No such request has been made in over 60 years.
In 1948 at the close of the second world war the U.S. military ceased to order any large orders of 1911s and decided that their next sidearm issued across the board as the general service sidearm would be quite different from the 1911. Colt continued to provide the military with spare parts though. From 1948 or so on the U.S. military made no new orders for 1911 pistols from any manufacturer (except for some branches of special forces).
However the U.S. military had little money to change over handguns at that time so the matter was put off. So through Korea and Viet Nam the 1911 soldiered on, spare parts being cobbled together and acquired from Colt. The gun did as it had always done an excellent job under the most rigorous conditions.
By the mid 80s though the U.S. military had the time and money and they chose, after extensive trials and debates, with the Berretta M9 and the Sig became an acceptable alternate in time. From that point on the 1911 was graduated out of service except in the hands of various of military police and special forces detachments (Seals, Force Recon, Deltas, etc.) It is not and will not be a general issue sidearm again in the U.S. or elsewhere.
Outside the U.S., by the 1960s and 70s other nations that issued the 1911 and used them in 45acp or 38 Super, phased them out for more modern and easier and cheaper to manufacture sidearms. In most cases it was a da/sa gun in 9mm, that was lighter than the 1911 and carried more rounds than the 1911. This was the type of gun the U.S. military wanted at the close of the Second World War but could not afford the transition to.
So why fellas worry about the cost of 12,000 handguns desired by MARSOC and to be delivered over a period of several years is kinda beyond me. Guns that may last them decades. It should be noted that MARSOC and other outfits like the seals, etc. have ordered and used slides from Springfield Armory, guns from Kimber, etc. over the last decade or so. This order from Colt is one of the larger special forces one.
tipoc
