Military snipers are used in a variety of missions on the battlefield, but the main battlefield role of the sniper is reconnaissance. Snipers are highly skilled masters of stealth, and often slip behind enemy lines to gather information about the enemy that their team can use for offensive maneuvers.
A sniper is a highly trained service member who specializes in shooting targets from incredibly long distances with modified rifles. They’re professionals in camouflage, observation techniques, and deadly warfare. They have one of the most stressful, and time-consuming jobs in the U.S. military.
Check out these nine amazing high-resolution pictures of U.S. snipers in action.
U.S. Army Spc. Gregory Arezalo, a Sniper with Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 4-118th Combined Arms Battalion (CAB), 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team (attached to the 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, South Carolina National Guard) fires the M107 .50 caliber long-range sniper rifle at Fort Stewart, Georgia, May 2, 2019 during annual training.
(U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Brian Calhoun, 108th Public Affairs Detachment)
While on an operation from Dec. 21 through Dec. 24, 2010, an attached group of snipers were on an operation to secure a compound at a new patrol base in the southern area of operations. This group of snipers were Marines with 2nd Platoon, India Company, located in Sangin, Afghanistan.
(Cpl. Daniel Blatter/U.S. Marine Corps)
Below, U.S. Army sniper Spc. James Wanser keeps watch in the early morning hours while his battle partner catches a few minutes of sleep on “Big Nasty,” a mountain near Forward Operating Base Tillman in Paktika province, Afghanistan, Sept. 8, 2011.
(Spc. Ken Scar/U.S. Army)
Sgt. Michael Dowell sights in his .50 caliber sniper rifle during a raid exercise pictured below, on July 10, 2013. Dowell, from Elko, Nevada, is a reconnaissance Marine serving with Alpha Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, and serves as the sniper for his team as well as the point man.
(Lance Cpl. Corey Dabney/U.S. Marine Corps)
Staff Sgt. Luciano Marzola trains with his sniper team in Bala Morghab, Afghanistan on Nov. 19, 2010. Thanks to his team providing a bubble of security, the Afghan villagers nearby have returned to the villages.
(OR-6 Romain Beaulinette/ISAF Joint Command)
Cpl. William Hopkins looks through the scope of his Barrett .50-cal. while Sgt. Lucas Cordes waits for the UH-60 Black Hawk to turn around so they can complete an aerial firing platform exercise.
(U.S. Army/Released)
A Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force Marine, fires his M40 sniper rifles at 1,000-yard targets during a training exercise aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C.
(Lance Cpl. Adwin Esters/U.S. Marine Corps)
During Exercise Forest Light 12-01 at the Hijudai Maneuver Area in Japan, Cpl. Nikola K. Kondovski lays in his final firing position blending in with nature. Kondovski is a machine gunner with Scout Sniper Platoon, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force.
(Lance Cpl. Brianna Christensen/U.S. Marine Corps)
At Camp Barrett, a Marine enrolled in the Scout Sniper Basic Course, plans a course across 600 yards in a stalk exercise.
(Lance Cpl. Emmanuel Ramos/U.S. Marine Corps)
