The conventional military has only a passing interest in shotguns, as it does in pistols. But as with pistols, some troops really like having a shotgun handy.
Do keep in mind however that not all combat is regular army versus regular army, especially in these days where 4th Generation Warfare is a term familiar to more and more people. Not all outfits who will be engaged in combat in this new age of conflict will be run by stiffnecked star-bearing primadonnas who are better at politics than fighting- or at leading fighters.
With those thoughts in mind, take a journey back to one of the old 101 threads at
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=139444 , and bone up on what role shotguns may well have if things get really interesting here it home. And while you're at it, surf on over to
http://www.d-n-i.net/second_level/fourth_generation_warfare.htm and
http://www.d-n-i.net/second_level/4gw_continued.htm , and dig some more. Hang around the home page at
http://www.d-n-i.net/ long enough to read some of William S. Lind's articles- he was one of several coauthors of the original article on 4GW that appeared in the _Marine Corps Gazette_ in 1989. You can find that article at
http://www.d-n-i.net/fcs/4th_gen_war_gazette.htm if you'd like to start at the beginning.
I spent a lot of years working at the school where Special Forces troops get their training and education. During that time I went along to play on several SFQC (Special Forces Qualification Course) graduation exercises, known as Robin Sage. Budding SF troops get handed a mission in the fictional Republic of Pineland (which looks suspiciously like parts of North Carolina), and a clutch of 'local' Gs (guerrilla trainees) to work with in accomplishing their mission. The Gs are actually clerks, bakers etc. from the 82d Abn Division or one of the leg units on post, but they play the role of local boys trying to throw off the yoke of an aggressive neighboring country- whose troops are usually role-played by frontline troops from the 82d.
While play of the problem dictated that GI small arms be issued, I can assure you that with the abundance of short range ambushes involved in operations of this sort, reliable repeating shotguns loaded with buckshot would be outstanding guerrilla weapons- inexpensive, simple, confidence building, easy to support.
And in a faraway place known as Malaya way back in the 1950s, the British Army demonstrated the utility of shotguns as counter-guerrilla weapons as well. SAS troops and others in Her Majesty's Army used Browning A-5s and some upstart newfangled pumpgun called a Remington 870 to good effect.
It might be that the DoD has little time for shotguns in its concept of modern warfare. But if the rubber ever hits the road here at home, I can guarantee there will be a lot of Home Guard unit members toting the family scattergun off to their backyard war. It's happened before after all...
lpl/nc
