What is SOP now with regards to sidearms in the battlefield?

[tank_monkey]

Has anything changed since the 1990s and now. I've heard that regulations covering M9s and who carries them have become pretty lax, and I've heard (2nd hand only) that POWs (Personally Owned Weapons) are allowed in A-Stan. Of course, stories like that makes me envision some guy strapping a .454 Casull revolver to his leg ;)

For all our members who have recently been in either Iraq or Afghanistan, I was wondering how the rules have changed regarding the carrying of handguns and who generally still carries them. :)

I was recently asked this question and did not know if anything has changed since the mid 1990s. It's been a while (wow times flies) and the last CIC I had was Bubba Clinton ....

Thanks in advance.

[insider]

The only POW I have seen in Afghanistan is private security contractors. The military still caries issue weapons. I did see a lot of capture weapons, but they were on display, not carried.

[Penguin]

I have been curious about this question as well. I have never seen a picture of US military personal with personal weapons but have read stories about them taking them over. So beats me I don't know.

[Charliebravo]

Aside from the happy switches on the side of the M4s, I think LEOs and other civilians get better gear than the military.