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.
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.