Many soldiers with close combat experience would argue that the bayonet remains useful today, though only under certain restricted conditions. A long charge with cold steel across open ground is, of course, a suicide run. But in tight quarters, bayonets can be very effective, once ammunition runs out. Even with automatic weapons, pausing to reload can be fatal when the enemy is only a few meters away.

For high-tech militaries such as the US Army, the unpleasant reality is that less heavily equipped forces (such as the Viet Cong and Iraqi insurgents) often want to get into close combat with their enemies. This cancels out the technially superior force's edge in air superiority and firepower. Therefore, high-tech infantry still need to be prepared and equipped to deal with close-combat threats. This is especially true if they are likely to be engaged in urban warfare