Quote Originally Posted by sixthree View Post
I hope this doesn't come across as to bold or arrogant for my first post aside from introducing myself. As always with everything opinions are like fleas and every dog has them
Nothing wrong with arrogant or bold, if you deliver!
Snipers are an asset that specializes in being covert. A DM in general is more of an overt role especially with the tendency towards presence patrolling.
That's based on one understanding of a DM.
A DM can perform some of the tasks a Sniper fulfills but unless he emerged from the womb ghillied up and leopard crawled past the Doc and out the door he isn't going to have the level of field craft or self discipline required to remain covert for 24-72 hr periods.
So where are Sniper currently crawling off to engage targets? That's all romantic wonderful stuff but does it represent what snipers on operations actually do.
The other things are a DM does not in general have the training or experience to call in accurate Mort/Arty/CAS and most importantly the ability to understand the higher commanders intent and his role in it.
All JNCOs should be able to call for fire.
Recon detachments are indispensible and I don't say that just because I command one. In general rifle Platoons are noisy messy things that leave a black bin liner worth of rubbish everywhere they travel, rifle sections are not much better.
So the justification for Snipers is the apparent chronically poor training of platoons?
Every worthwhile platoon should be able to generate 4-7 teams of 4-5 men. In WW2, they did. 20-man close reconnaissance patrols of 4 x 5 man teams were routine.
Reconnaissance is a core infantry skill. No excuse not to be good at.
Poor training and leadership is likewise not an excuse to maintain the status quo.
If infantry training and employment wants to stay stuck in the stone age, then all you say is true, but then you have to understand the historic beliefs and infatuations with the "classical" roles of Snipers and Reconnaissance may not be examples of best practice, but actually products of wholly thinking and poor training.