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U.S. Army Approves New ‘General Forces Configuration’ for M17/M18 Pistols.
On November 5, 2025, SIG SAUER and the U.S. Army authorized a soldier-influenced General Forces Configuration (MHS-GFC) that adds an Army-approved accessory list to let units convert in-service M17 and M18 pistols through standard supply channels.
The U.S. company SIG SAUER announced on November 5, 2025, that the U.S. Army approved a soldier-influenced “General Forces Configuration” for its Modular Handgun System, authorizing an accessories package that lets units convert in-service M17 and M18 pistols at the user level through standard supply channels. The company frames the move as the first tranche of a broader Modular Handgun eXchange effort to operationalize the P320 family’s modular fire-control unit across general forces.
The new M17 and M18 General Forces Configuration pistols feature a modular P320 fire-control unit, optics-ready slides, interchangeable grips, and enhanced controls that deliver faster handling, greater accuracy, and superior reliability for U.S. service members (Picture source: SIG SAUER).
At the center of the upgrade is the serialized fire-control unit that allows the pistol to be reconfigured without an armorer’s bench. The approved Additional Authorized List includes interchangeable grip modules, a flared magazine well for faster reloads, an extended “gas-pedal” takedown lever that doubles as a recoil-control ledge, optics-ready slides, and special barrels. Collectively, these changes target hit probability, time to first shot, and manipulations under stress while preserving full compatibility with existing M17/M18 inventories. As SIG SAUER executive Steve Rose put it, the configuration “reflects the voice of the soldier” and advances modular design to the line user.
The headline accessory is the ROMEO-M17 enclosed-emitter red dot, purpose-built for M17/M18 slides using the SIG-LOC interface. Unlike top-mount plates, the optic secures from under the slide, retains the rear sight block, and enables true co-witness with standard-height irons, adding robustness and repeatable zero under field abuse. The coyote-tan 7075-T6 housing is sealed, gas-purged, and rated for submersion, with a selectable 2 MOA dot and 32 MOA circle reticle. For units that have struggled to keep open-emitter optics alive in mud, rain, and dust, these design choices matter.
Base gun fundamentals remain unchanged. The full-size M17 carries a 4.7-inch barrel and the compact M18 a 3.9-inch barrel, both striker-fired in 9 mm NATO with ambidextrous manual safeties, coyote-PVD slides, and 17- or 21-round magazines. Army portfolio data lists 8.05 inches overall length for M17 and 7.25 inches for M18, with an effective range to 50 meters. Typical service trigger weight follows the P320 standard, around 6.5 pounds, a familiar figure for military strikers.
Soldier-level use is pragmatic: pistols are carried primarily by leaders, vehicle crews, aviators, military police, and support troops who fight rifle-first but require a compact, ready secondary. Optics that co-witness with irons cut transition time from the holster and tighten groups at 25–50 meters; a flared magwell reduces fumbled reloads in low-light searches and confined spaces; and the thumb-ledge helps manage muzzle rise during controlled pairs, easing the training curve for shooters who qualify infrequently. These are small ergonomics changes with outsized effects on qualification throughput and night-fire performance.
Service adoption patterns reinforce the GFC logic. The Marine Corps standardized on the M18 beginning in 2020, replacing M9, M45A1, and Glock 19 stocks. The Air Force procured large numbers of M18s for Security Forces and aircrew, and the Navy continues to qualify sailors on M18 at deployed hubs. After a tragic July 20, 2025, incident, Air Force Global Strike Command briefly paused M18 use, inspected nearly 8,000 pistols, and returned them to service with targeted repairs and enhanced inspection protocols, underscoring continued DoD confidence in the platform.
On ammunition, the Army’s 9 mm loads underscore the benefit of stable optics and better control surfaces. Winchester’s M1152 115-grain FMJ flat-point clocks roughly 1,320 fps from a 4.7-inch M17 barrel, while SIG’s M17-labeled 124-grain +P defensive load runs near 1,200 fps. Both sit at the upper end of service 9 mm performance and expose sighting and recoil-management weaknesses that the GFC package directly addresses.
Contractually, the GFC decision rides atop a mature program. The Army’s original MHS award to SIG SAUER in January 2017 is a firm-fixed-price, up-to-$580.2 million contract running to January 19, 2027, for pistols, accessories, and ammunition. Across DoD, planned procurement totals are up to about 421,000 pistols spanning the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, a scale that favors accessory standardization over new pistol variants. Final assembly of SIG’s U.S. military firearms occurs at the company’s Newington, New Hampshire, manufacturing hub, an industrial footprint that policymakers track closely.
Internationally, the P320 architecture behind M17/M18 anchors allied sidearm programs that matter for NATO interoperability. Canada selected a P320 variant as the C22 service pistol in 2022, including a holster system tuned to a wide user population, while Denmark adopted the P320 X-Carry for its armed forces. Shared platforms simplify training, spares, and optics support across combined formations.
The broader picture is SIG’s deepening U.S. small-arms portfolio. In April 2022, the Army awarded the company a potential 10-year, 4.5-billion-dollar Next Generation Squad Weapons production contract covering the 6.8 mm M7 rifle, M250 automatic rifle, and common cartridge family. From pistols to squad weapons and ammunition, the company now sits across the core of the U.S. soldier’s individual weapons ecosystem.
Written by Evan Lerouvillois, Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group.
Evan studied International Relations, and quickly specialized in defense and security. He is particularly interested in the influence of the defense sector on global geopolitics, and analyzes how technological innovations in defense, arms export contracts, and military strategies influence the international geopolitical scene.