Tony Grist
Modern military sniper competitions provide a range of valuable benefits to U.S. Army snipers, enhancing their skills, tactics, and overall effectiveness. I spoke at length with Iahn about the competitions, his thoughts on them, their value, and what it was like to be part of the first-ever US Military team of Snipers to compete in Turkey.
For Iahn, the biggest value is all about the training you get from shooting in the event. All the courses of fire are based on real-world scenarios that come from the war in Ukraine, so even though the US Military isn’t involved directly they are indirectly receiving the lessons learned from that conflict and some we spoke about.
Skill Enhancement:
Marksmanship: Competitions push snipers to improve their shooting accuracy under various conditions, especially with limited time available to shoot.
Fieldcraft: Snipers hone their camouflage, concealment, and stalking skills, which are critical in real-world operations. Drones were involved in many of the courses in many different ways so Snipers had to learn to use the drones to their best advantage, and how to best defeat them, when possible.
Range Estimation: Practicing range estimation in competitive settings sharpens this essential skill for engaging targets at varying distances, again with a time limit.
Stress Management:
High-Pressure Scenarios: Competitions simulate the stress and pressure of combat, helping snipers learn to perform under similar conditions.
Decision Making: Snipers practice making quick, accurate decisions in dynamic environments, mirroring real-life battlefield conditions. Iahn has learned that often times your first shot is the shot to take, no matter how uncomfortable you are, no matter if your breathing isn’t absolutely perfect, take the shot because the risk of failure is much less than the risk of discovery, or timing out the course of fire while repositioning.
Tactics and Techniques:
Innovation: Exposure to new tactics and techniques from other competitors can lead to improved methods and strategies. Lessons learned from today’s battlefields are being passed on during these competitions within weeks of people returning from the front lines. Iahn and his team learned new skills from the Danish team that they had only read about, and then they used it during competition and can now take that skill back to their unit and train the rest of their Sniper group.
Adaptability: Competitions often present unpredictable scenarios, requiring snipers to adapt and improvise, mirroring the unpredictability of combat. Unstable positions seem to be a common theme according to Iahn so learning to shot from uncomfortable positions is now a major focus of his everyday training. Adapting to different environments during the same mission was a focus as well. Today’s battlefield often goes from woodland to urban to open farmland inside of 24 hours and you need to be able to adapt quickly and still perform at a high level, all things that were part of the competitions.
Equipment Familiarization:
Gear Testing: Competitions allow snipers to test and evaluate their equipment in challenging conditions, ensuring reliability and effectiveness in the field. On display were advancements in many different technologies including including how to hide from drones, heat vision, night vision, and IR.
Technological Updates: Snipers gain exposure to the latest advancements in sniper technology and gear, staying current with industry developments. Iahn said everyone in attendance was watching everyone else of course, and everyone was comparing equipment. Some country’s Military teams may have had newer/better/different rifles, but the US Army team owned the night with their superior night vision and tactics.
Networking and Knowledge Sharing:
Community Building: Competitions foster camaraderie and networking among snipers from different units and branches, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and best practices. The relationship between nations may be tenuous but receiving an invitation to be the first ever US Military team to compete at their Sniper competition is a way of building a positive relationship between the countries and establishing direct relationships between Military personnel.
Mentorship: Experienced snipers can mentor and share insights with less experienced participants, raising the overall proficiency of the sniper community. Sniper school was just the basics and is only the first chapter in a large book and Iahn says the lessons in meeting people, learning their equipment, tactics and techniques is invaluable training that he couldn’t get any other way.
Camaraderie: The chance to interact with the host and other country’s Military personnel offers great opportunity to build solid positive relationships and is a chance for the host country to “show off” some of it’s culture and positive attributes. Iahn said Turkey was a very gracious host and the US Army team had an outstanding time during and outside of the competition. The Turkish equivalent of our Navy SEALS took them out one night to show them some sights and a special dinner, forging some lasting memories and new friendships.
Validation and Recognition:
Benchmarking Skills: Competitions provide a benchmark for snipers to measure their skills against peers, identifying areas for improvement and tips on how to achieve that improvement. No doubt, different countries train differently and there is often valuable lessons in their ways that can be passed on.
Motivation: Achieving recognition in competitions can boost morale and motivation, encouraging continued excellence and dedication. Iahn said some teams are under intense pressure from their Military Command and/or country to do well in the competition, for them it’s national pride on the line as well as winning.
In Summary:
Modern military sniper competitions provide U.S. Military snipers with opportunities to refine their skills, test their equipment, adapt to new tactics, manage stress, and build a strong community. These competitions play a vital role in maintaining the high standards and operational effectiveness of military snipers. They are able to learn and apply lessons learned from today’s battlefields without having to be on the battlefield, allowing us to have a better trained Military ready to answer the call when needed.
Garfield out.
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