U.S. Army Special Operations Sniper Training and Employment
The Special Operations {SO) sniper Is a selected volunteer specially trained in advanced marksmanship and fieldcraft skills who can engage selected targets from concealed positions at ranges and under conditions that are not possible for the normal rifleman, in support of Special Operations Forces (SOF) missions.
Special Operations are actions conducted by specially organized, trained, and equipped military and paramilitary forces to achieve military, political, economic, or psychological objectives by non-conventional means in hostile, denied, or
politically sensitive areas. They are conducted in peace, conflict, and war, independently or in coordination with operations of conventional forces. Politico-military considerations frequently shape SO, requiring clandestine,
covert or low-visibility techniques, and oversight at the national level. SO usually differ from conventional operation in their degree of risk, operational techniques, mode of employment, independence from friendly support, and dependence upon operational intelligence and indigenous assets.
1-5. SELECTION OF PERSONNEL
Candidates for sniper training must be carefully screened. The rigorous training program and the great personal risk in combat require high motivation and the ability to learn a variety of skills. The proper mental conditioning cannot always be taught or instilled by training.
Many well -disciplined individuals can rapidly compose themselves after a fleeting surrender to excitement, fear, or
indecisiveness, in the sniper's profession an instant of uncontrolled emotion can be fatal. The sniper must possess true emotional balance, a perpetual self-possession, and serenity developed from maturity and patience. The hunter who experiences "buck-fever" may lose the deer; the sniper who cannot control his emotions may lose his life.
The sniper must be capable of calmly and deliberately killing targets that may not pose an immediate threat to him- It is much easier to kill in self-defense or in the defense of others than it is to kill without apparent provocation. The sniper must not be susceptible to emotions such as anxiety or remorse. Candidates whose motivation toward sniper training rests mainly in the desire for the prestige from serving in a unique role may not be capable of the cold rationality that the sniper's job requires. To kill in this fashion requires mental discipline and the belief in the rightness and moral correctness of the mission. The sniper must be able to live with himself afterward, sorting out his feelings of right and wrong, without carrying disabling emotional baggage.
Diagnostic and aptitude testing may be implemented at the discretion of the commander. Certain testing procedures may bequite lengthy and tedious and are therefore subject to limitations of time, equipment, and facilities. It is recommended, however, that psychological evaluation of a candidate be at least partially determined through the use of the Minnesota Multi-Phasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). This test, if properly administered, gives the commander a personality profile of the individual- it can assist the commander in evaluating whether the candidate can function in confined spaces, can work independently, and has the potential to function as a sniper.
The tests are more than simple mental analyses- Psychological screening establishes a profile of characteristics that indicate if an Individual would be a successful sniper. Testing eliminates candidates who would not perform well in combat. In the past, some trained snipers have refused to shoot targets that were not a direct threat to them, or, after shooting an enemy, refused to shoot again. Psychological screening is intended to identify individuals who would have these problems.
