Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice … well, you are not going to fool me a third time. The US Army has announced that they want to replace the Beretta M9. No, you are not experiencing Déjà vu. First there was the Future Handgun System (FHS), then there was the Joint Combat Pistol (JCP) and now we have the Modular Handgun System (MHS). At the end of this month the US Army will brief the industry on their requirements for the Modular Handgun System. Fox News reports …

As the lead agent for small arms, the Army will hold an industry day July 29 to talk to gun makers about the joint, Modular Handgun System or MHS.

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The Army began working with the small arms industry on MHS in early 2013, but the effort has been in the works for more than five years. If successful, it would result in the Defense Department buying more than 400,000 new pistols during a period of significant defense-spending reductions.

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The MHS will be an open-caliber competition that will evaluate larger rounds such as .357 Sig, .40 S&W and .45 ACP.

Just two years ago the army placed ordered 100,000 additional M9 pistols from Beretta. I cannot see them adopting a new pistol in the near future.