Within the Marine Corps veteran community, there are few subjects more prone to good-natured ribbing than the modern generation’s reliance on the standard issue Marine rifle combat optic, commonly referred to as an RCO. These 4x magnification rifle gunsights have been a part of every Marine’s standard rifle loadout for years now, but among old timers, the use of an RCO, rather than the rifle’s traditional iron sights, is just another sign of the Corps’ softening over the years. Now, the Marine Corps may actually run out of the standard issue optics in as little as six months.

“Based on the current sustainment model, the shortfall will have a critical impact on both Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and The Basic School within six months and Weapons and Field Training Battalion, Edson Range within 12 months,” the Marine Corps said in a recent press release.

The RCO utilized by the Marine Corps is a modified Trijicon ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight) that utilizes dual illumination technology that incorporates a combination of fiber optics and self-luminous tritium.

According to Trijicon: