Personal Close Combat Weapons:

Most officers use the typical "K-Bar" Marine Combat knife. This weapon has gone through very little development since it's invention, however it has stayed a tried and true part of the Marine arsenal. Every marine who is assigned to the 3rd MEU is assigned a K-Bar upon joining the unit. If they want to continue using them, however, is up to the individual.

The most popular alternatives for Marines tend to be Klingon Weapons. The Bat`leth is perhaps the best known of all Klingon weapons, as this is what most Klingon boarding parties carry. While combersome at times, this weapon can be very effective in the hands of a skilled user. Due to it's large size however, most Marines decide against using it. However, it is not unheard of for one or two to have carried one as their close combat weapon.

The Mek`leth is currently the most popular choice in close combat weapons for officers in the ranks. Due to it's smaller size and higher rate of effectiveness at close range, this weapon is very common within Force Recon units. As well, it is carried as something of a status symble, as those that use the Mek`leth will have spent much time perfecting their close combat abilities. Officially, the widespread use of this weapon is frowned upon, but most senior officers turn a blind eye when it comes down the wire.

Personal Weapons:

Starfleet had a wide veriety of phaser weapons that are used by the Marine Corps as general personal weapons. The reasoning behind this is that these weapons have been battle tested time and again, proving their usefulness constantly. For some missions, these weapons may be modified to fit mission perameters, but basically stay the same.

The Personal Phaser, Type II, is one of Starfleet's most common side arms. Most personnel have held one, if not keep one in their quarters. The basic design behind this weapon has been the same since 2370, however modifications to the ruggedness of such weapons as well as their overall durability have been made to make the Type II phaser a very effective weapon.

Though the idea behind the Type II phaser is stable and very practical, in the last few years Starfleet has started looking to new sorts of Personal Phasers. This has brought about the advent of the Phaser Pulse Pistol. This weapon is much like a miniturized Compression Phaser rifle, in that when fired it unleashes a pulse of fire. Part of the effectiveness of this weapon has been creditted to the noise it makes when it discharges... something of a *WHOMP!* *WHOMP!* sound.

While the Phaser Type II is a durable weapon, there are times when you just need that extra little power. Realising this, Starfleet created the Phaser Rifle, or Phaser Type III. This weapon has more power, longer range, and better aim. However, all this comes with the cost of added size and weight. The Type III is a very common weapon used by soldiers stationed in hostile areas and can be found in locations all across the United Federation of Planets.

There are times when the standard Phaser Rifle is just not enough, and when those times come around there are two options open for the members of the 58th. These come in the form of the Compression Phaser Rifle, Type IIIa and Type IIIb. Both weapons operate in a pulse fire mode, unlike the Type III, and have a higher rate of fire. They may also carry an underslung grenade launcher.

The advantages of both compression rifles make them ideal for different situations, and so it isn't hard to imagine that units are deployed with both weapons in operation at once.

The Type IIIa has a higher range, and a slightly longer barrel, making it very ideal for open ground combat. It's weight is also eveny destributed throughout and is very comfortable for those who use it. It's drawback is that during urban, or close quarters combat the weapon is very bulky and combersom.

The Type IIIb however, has a shorter barrel, an decreased range and a more compact body. This makes it ideal for urban of close quarters combat, though it's effectiveness next to the IIIb in open combat isn't nearly as impressive. However, in open combat, the weapon is not totally useless and so will most likely be assigned to a forward obsever of a scout for units within the Marines.

Squad Weapons:

During an assassination incident on Deep Space 9, the TR-116 rifle was modified so that the assassin could snipe at his targets through walls on any part of the station. This was achieved by attaching a micro transporter to the barrel of the rifle which transported the Plasma Cartradges within a milimeter of the target before killing them. Force Recon was one of the three major groups within Starfleet to jump on this newly made weapon, employing it as a sniper rifle. It has been rumored that entire units of Marines have been armed with this weapon and deployed to "hot-spots" to test out the effectiveness of this weapon for a long period of time.

On the other end of the scale from the TR-116 Sniper Rifle is the Isomagnetic Disintegrator. This weapon is something akin to a bazooka from the 20th Century. It's fire power is massive, but this weapon betrays it's users location almost imediatly and so is usually used as a squad support weapon. The idea behind this weapon was to have a soldier deliever a massive blow to a target, possibly saving the lives of fellow soldiers. The weapon produced and fielded filled out the design specifications perfectly.