re: Soldiers Hate the M4 and M16. The Pentagon Is Finally Doing Something about It.

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This can and does happen with larger rounds too. The anecdotal experience of a couple of infantry guys is not evidence of effectiveness. The 5.56 is lethal, but it has its compromise like any other round. The difference between 5.56 and other rounds is that the 5.56 has a huge advantage weight that is not in any way offset by a lack of lethality. 5.56 has killed a lot of people. Sure, a 12 ga slug might be "more lethal" at 10 feet, but dead=dead. More importantly, the 5.56 has enabled more covering fire and maneuvers than 12ga or 308 ever could.

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I'm pretty sure that I read somewhere sometime in the past that, not only are your reasons for the pivot to the 5.56 round true, but, also, a Logistics reason. The Logistics reason for the adoption of the round is that the huge small arms ammo shipments that supply mass armies in the field overseas can fit WAY more 5.56mm than larger rounds.

Special units that might need something other than what mass armies in the field use are authorized to have flexibility in what they want to utilize.

But, unless I am mistaken, the notion that the 5.56mm is ideal for standardized usage because Logistics concerns are a factor, is also accurate.