"Modern US Snipers" Topic

From Military.com …

link

I am curious how the use of drones and intelligent munitions will change the nature of sniping – not only making snipers easier to detect by drones, but why risk a sniper team on a high-value target when a drone can take it out instead?

Many things with drones being found more & more on the battlefield will have to change/evolve. E.g. the effect of MGs on Infantry, the introduction of aircraft and AFVs i.e. WWI.

Tactics, training and techniques, fieldcraft, etc., will have to adapt to new tech. As always, e.g. Bitzkrieg/Combined Arms warfare in 1940, etc.

IMO Snipers will adapt e.g. using drones to spot targets, etc. Note Drones at this time can't just hit one individual, AFAIK. E.g. the US uses Drones armed with Hellfire missiles. That is not a weapon designed to kill one individual.

So if you want to only kill one person, e.g. a terrorist leader, etc., and avoid CD. To both non-combatants and infrastructure. A sniper is … one shot … one kill. The US upset some at the the beginning of the GWOT as well as throughout it, taking out a target would kill not just the target but everyone around him … i.e. CD … It is standard insurgent dogma/tactics[Che', Mao, etc.] to hide among the local population. To minimize or negate US, etc., firepower.

At times in Iraq and A'stan, FA & CAS was denied to troops calling it in, as it was believed it would cause CD. If the US didn't care about CD there would be places on the planet that would look like the dark side of the moon. With Only using conventional munitions, i.e. "Smart Bombs", etc.

Again, e.g. MGs didn't make Infantry obsolete. As well as AT and AAA weapons didn't make AFVs & aircraft["new weapons"] obsolete.

The paradigm is: Measure … Counter Measure … Counter-Counter Measure … repeat.

Drones will be part of the Combined Arms Tm. And yes even the drones may/will have their limitations – i.e. CD …

The US upset some at the the beginning of the GWOT as well as throughout it, taking out a target would kill not just the target but everyone around him … i.e. CD … It is standard insurgent dogma/tactics[Che', Mao, etc.] to hide among the local population. To minimize or negate US, etc., firepower.

It is possible that this was counter-terrorism in practice -- trying to isolate terrorists by making everyone avoid them for fear of their own safety.

Maybe … but it seemed … they still used non-combatants for "cover", per se. But in many cases those "non-combatants" may have been "supporters", etc. And yes, wives and children could and did fall into that category. It is the nature of COIN …

Legion 4, thanks for the detailed comments. I have noticed though that drones are becoming more able to kill with limited CD – isn't there the 'ninja hellfire' or something like that using blades instead of explosives to strike targets that are in a car for example? During the recent Armenia/Azerbaijan conflict I saw lots of videos of strikes against 2-3 combatants hiding in trench systems, so they must feel it is cost-effective, even if just for the terror value (meaning even a very small group is not safe from being targeted).
As more combat seems to be taking place in cities rather than in jungles/mountains, I wonder if operating in areas with a large population makes it more difficult for snipers to operate – moving undetected thru a city seems much more difficult than doing so in a jungle or forest for example. And targets may be more mobile in a city (moving about in cars for example) so moving sniper teams into position, which can be time-consuming using stalking techniques only to find the target has moved miles away using a car or motorcycle) may tip the scales more toward using drones that can maneuver more quickly over highways and buildings, then strike with a small explosive or blade weapon. Like you say, measure . . . counter-measure.

Well newer weapons tech for drones is occurring as we speak. Smaller warhead/munitions will have a smaller impact area/kill zone. So yes, that would limit CD. But may not be as lethal as a larger warhead, obviously.

With more of the planet becoming urban, you will see more and more MOUT happening. The desert is not as easy a place to hide as in closed terrain, e.g. urban, jungle, etc.

If you see/read about US Snipers in cities in Iraq. You can see how effective they were/are. As far as the target moving away. That is always something that may occur. Even drones can't be everywhere.

But let there be no doubt … drones will be used by snipers & line troops to support their ops. As time goes on. Infantry/Snipers can hold ground. Drones do not have that capability. Without working with Infantry.

Drones, as I said, will have a growing role in the Combined Arms Team. But the can't do many things on their own.

Of course I was an Infantry Officer, '79-'90 … my perceptions are more about experience and training as a Grunt. And I'd have welcomed drone support as both a Plt Ldr and Co. Cdr. But I don't think they can do everything on their own … at least not yet.

And certainly drones are effective for recon and scouting even if unarmed. Once an enemy is spotted. FA, Gunships, CAS can be called on that enemy target. FA, Gunships, CAS, etc. can pack a lot more firepower than a drone … at least at this point.

But again I see it as part of the Combined Arms Tm …