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View Full Version : The Sniper's True Role as per Field Manual (FM 23-10)


Vicky23
October 31st, 2002, 02:59
The sniper has special abilities, training and equipment. His job is to deliver discriminatory highly accurate rifle fire against enemy targets, which cannot be engaged successfully by the rifleman because of range, size, location, fleeting nature, or visibility.

Sniping requires the development of basic infantry skills to a high degree of perfection. A sniper's training incorporates a wide variety of subjects designed to increase his value as a force multiplier and to ensure his survival on the battlefield. The art of sniping requires learning and repetitiously practicing these skills until mastered.

A sniper must be highly trained in long-range rifle marksmanship and field craft skills to ensure maximum effective engagements with minimum risk.


1-1. MISSION

The primary mission of a sniper in combat is to support combat operations by delivering precise long-range fire on selected targets. By this, the sniper creates casualties among enemy troops, slows enemy movement, frightens enemy soldiers, lowers morale, and adds confusion to their operations. The secondary mission of the sniper is collecting and reporting battlefield information.

a. A well-trained sniper, combined with the inherent accuracy of his rifle and ammunition, is a versatile supporting arm available to an infantry commander. The importance of the sniper cannot be measured simply by the number of casualties he inflicts upon the enemy. Realization of the sniper’s presence instills fear in enemy troop elements and influences their decisions and actions.

A sniper enhances a unit’s firepower and augments the varied means for destruction and harassment of the enemy. Whether a sniper is organic or attached, he will provide that unit withextra supporting fire. The sniper’s role is unique in that it is the sole means by which a unit can engage point targets at distances beyond the effective range of the M16 rifle. This role becomes more significant when the target is entrenched or positioned among civilians, or during riot control missions. The fires of automatic weapons in such operations can result in the wounding or killing of noncombatants.


b. Snipers are employed in all levels of conflict. This includes conventional offensive and defensive combat in which precision fire is delivered at long ranges. It also includes combat patrols, ambushes, countersniper operations, forward observation elements, militaryoperations in urbanized terrain, and retrograde operations in which snipers are part of forces left in contact or as stay-behind forces.


[a small bit from FM 23-10...DoW members can email me for the entire manual]

(also see this sight http://www.snipersparadise.com/index_hq.htm )

Acedeal
October 31st, 2002, 05:17
FM 23-10
SNIPER TRAINING

Here is the link for the whole 9 yrds.
about 200 pages of nothing but sniper stuff.. makes for some good late nite reading.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/23-10/toc.htm

Acedeal
March 13th, 2003, 16:53
hope you do not mind that I moved your post to here. as there was a topic on this already.

I was looking for this site in my list of potentially useful information:

It is an online copy of US ARMY FM 23-10 SNIPER TRAINING

Much of it is of no use here :) but there is some useful stuff. I had to study a few sections from this during TELE (Tactical Entry for Law Enforcement) Training. I especially like sections 3 and 4 for reference.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/23-10/toc.htm

Enjoy...

FearBlade
March 14th, 2003, 03:29
*starts looking for his printer*ey, i cant take my computer to the bed ;> and i realy wanna read that stuff :mrgreen: