Scout Sniper Platoon

Scout Sniper Platoon

A United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper (MOS 0317, formerly 8541) is a secondary MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) designator of U.S. Marine Corps infantrymen and reconnaissance Marines that have successfully graduated from a U.S. Marine Corps Scout Sniper School.

A USMC Scout Sniper is a Marine highly skilled in fieldcraft and marksmanship, who delivers long-range precision fire on selected targets, from concealed positions, in support of combat operations.

A Marine Corps Scout Sniper Team is a detachment of one or more sniper teams performing an assigned task of engaging selected targets, targets of opportunity, collecting and reporting information, or a combination of all, contributing to the accomplishment of the supported unit's mission.

Surveillance and Target Acquisition (STA) Platoons, very similar units, existed until shortly after the Gulf War. They consisted of Scout Snipers and Intelligence Marines.

A Scout Sniper Platoon is composed of 8-10 Scout Sniper teams, some of which are specially suited for night operations and fully capable of operating in complete darkness through use of night vision scopes and infrared laser equipment. Typically, each Scout Sniper team has two members. One sniper is equipped with a long-range, specially-made sniper rifle such as the M40; he also is frequently issued an M9 9mm pistol. The other sniper is typically armed with an M16A2 and uses a high-power spotting scope to spot targets and follow-up shots for the shooter. The shooter/spotter relationship is not always set; some platoons establish designated shooters while other platoons have team members switch off. Within a platoon there are two Special Application Scoped Rifle (SASR), chambered in the .50 caliber such as the M82A1. These can be issued to a team as needed to give supported commanders the option of taking out heavy equipment or heavily armored targets. Scout Sniper teams train to engage man-sized targets with the M40 out to 1000 yards, and can be effective at a range of up to 1.25 miles (2.01 km) with the M82 if the environment is right.

Read more about Scout Sniper Platoon:  Overview, Scout Sniper Basic Course, Other Schools, Duties, Controversial Use of The "SS" Symbol, See Also

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