This is a list of weapons served individually by the United States armed forces, sorted by type and current level of use. This list does not include a number of weapons used by Special Operations Forces, as their specific equipment is mostly unknown and some Special Operations Forces weapons are only used by a few operators.
While the general understanding is that crew-served weapons require more than one person to operate them, there are important exceptions in the case of both squad automatic weapons (SAW) and sniper rifles. Within the Table of Organization and Equipment for both the United States Army and the U.S. Marine Corps, these two classes of weapons are understood to be crew-served, as the operator of the weapon (identified as a sniper or as a SAW gunner) has an assistant, who carries additional ammunition and associated equipment, acts as a spotter, and is also fully qualified in the operation of the weapon. Hence, the above weapons are listed under List of crew-served weapons of the U.S. armed forces. See also Equipment of the United States Coast Guard for a more detailed list of their small arms.
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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Trust therefore first, and after preve,
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—Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894)
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Chain mine armed neck, leap thou, attire and all,
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—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
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