The most recent conflict that we have been involved in has been Iraq. Now politics aside whenever 'our' troops get involved in a fight, they seem to cause more casualties than the enemy cause to us. (bare with me on this) Unless an ambush happens or a plane is brought down: that is our infantry is 'better' for some reason that theirs is. Why is this? Is it down to better training? Weapons? Body armour? Tactics? I mean I really am stuck on this one, a bullet kills you if you are Western or Eastern just the same.

The biggest reason is because you have professional troops facing off against unprofessional insurgents. The insurgents lack the firepower, equipment & resources of the various coalition contigents. Additionally, while there are some ex-soldiers among the insurgency, the majority of the insurgents have little or no military training. This is the biggest area where coalition troops have an advantage. Even the ex-Republican guard members among the insurgency is going to be less well trained than British or American soldiers or Marines.


USA uses the M16 and is expected to engage the enemy up to about 150m
The M-16 has a maximum effective range of 550 meters at a point target. While I'm not really familiar with US Army marskmanship standards, US Marines train to use their weapons to its maximum effective range. When you qualify on the rifle range, the course goes up to 500 meters.

The AK-47 has a maximum effective range of 300 meters, while the SA80 has a maximum effective range of 500 meters.

A note about the AK versus the M-16:

I find the M-16 to be a superior weapon, and I've fired both. The M-16 has much greater range and accuracy. A lighter round (5.56mm as opposed to 7.62mm) also means you can hump more rounds into the fight than with the AK-47. The advantages of the Kalashnikovs are its reliability, and its greater stopping power. Reliability however shouldn't really be an issue with the M-16 so long as the troops using it are properly trained. So long as you take care of the M-16, it'll take care of you.