User blog comment:Griever0311/Ask A Marine Part Cinq/@comment-1790643-20100407204815

I'm sure it's worth every penny - if a piece of equipment increases the lethality or survivability of a soldier, it's worth every penny. But whether or not it's worth the money is not the issue, the issue is how much the US (or indeed any) military is willing to spend on equipment for the average soldier. The average infantryman is not issued the best equipment possible, he's issued equipment that's been chosen for it's balance of cost and effectiveness.