Quote Originally Posted by jcustis View Post
How well they recommend use of snipers when they are called on to develop R&S plans for infantry battalion ops is a different animal.
I realize I'm a Dinosaur and things may have changed a great deal but in my day a LT S2 and or a LT Scout Plt Ldr w/ Sniper Teams would've been asked about employment but given but given the slightest suspicion they might not understand all they know about what they think they're saying, El Commandante woulda said "Where's SSG Phugabosky?" Then when the Sniper Boss appeared, one of those lovely and enjoyable learning experiences could take place and probably the next time or certainly the time after that both LTs would know answers and forcefully state a position, just about guaranteed.

No one reports into any place knowing all the aspects of the job -- that's why training is an ongoing effort for everyone, in combat or out. IET needs to be improved but it will never be able to get all the job knowledge crammed into craniums; some if it is too experience related and too esoteric to translate at all well into books or instruction. Lot of cogntiive skills that simply take practice.

If someone cannot do something they should be able to do, someone has to train them. I'm not criticizing here, I'm looking for info. I get an impression -- and that's all it is, an impression -- from a lot of posts here from a number of serving people in the Army, Marines and AF that such training, mentoring, whatever you call it is far more rare than it used to be. It seems that the not fully competent tend to just be left alone while folks turn to the competent workhorses and over use them. That's one of many problems with oversize Staffs today, there are enough folks to let a poor performer slide because someone can cover it...