Combat experience in Iraq has shaped the training and arming of American soldiers in Afghanistan, even though the aspects of warfare are noticeably different. Whereas the Army, Marines and Special Operations regularly engaged insurgents within close proximity (less than 1,000 feet) in Iraq, U.S. personnel fighting the Taliban often find themselves in firefights that span longer distances. But according to a research paper authored by Major Thomas Ehrhart at the Army School for Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, soldiers are trained to fire their rifles accurately up to only 600 feet. Also, the M4 carbine given to troops can’t hit targets beyond a thousand feet (300 meters), even though half of enemy attacks come from beyond that range.