dˈʊɹɹɪŋ wˈɜːld wˈɔːɹ ɹˌoʊmən tˈuː, ðə jˈuː.ˈɛs. mˈɪlətˌɛɹi ɹˈɛkəɡnˌaɪzd ðˈæt, dˈuː tʊ ɐdvˈænsmənts ɪn ˈɑːɹmɚ tɛknˈɑːlədʒi baɪ ˈɛnəmi fˈoːɹsᵻz, ɐ pˈaʊɚfəl lˈaɪtweɪt wˈɛpən wʌz nˈiːdᵻd tə dᵻfˈɛnd ˈɪnfəntɹi ænd lˈaɪt ˈɑːɹmɚ jˈuːnɪts.
During World War II, the U.S. military recognized that, due to advancements in armor technology by enemy forces, a powerful lightweight weapon was needed to defend infantry and light armor units.