In the ever-intensifying competition for federal funding, DoD needs to protect its investment accounts, which will determine the military’s future capabilities and where it can achieve superiority, said Frank Kendall, Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (USD(AT&L)). The recently developed M-240L 7.62mm Lightweight Medium Machine Gun, which, at 22.3 pounds, is nearly five pounds lighter than the M240B machine gun, is one new capability whereby the Army has succeeded in reducing the physical load that Soldiers carry, one of its highest priorities. Here, PFC Tom Ruohonen, serving with Task Force Black Knight, pulls security with an M-240L at the patrol base in Spinah, Paktika Province, Afghanistan, Sept. 27, 2011. (Photo by SPC Jacob Kohrs.)