Reply to "Keep Scout Snipers at the Infantry Battalion"
by CWO5 Jim Curtis
Scout Snipers rarely function autonomously in my experience. They require a lot of support and they don't provide much capability. Their reporting skills and their ability to shape the battle for the battalion are limited at best. The Scout Sniper Platoon is not the greatest economy of force asset that an infantry battalion commander possesses. The authors statement on that displays how little we understand 'economy of force'. I will leave that to another discussion and try to stay on point.
Most of your scout sniper platoon is comprised of Marines who haven't attended the basic course. They are not 'highly skilled' as the author indicates. They do a lot of shooting packages but they aren't employed very often or with much success. When they are employed with success they are augmented by enablers. And the SSP is certainly not suited within the context of EABO as that environment will require units to operate far from HHQ, most likely on another island and without resupply as needed. The author stated that "A Scout Sniper team operating within the EABO construct strains the command and control capabilities of an infantry company" but neglects to realize the same can be said about the battalion or regiment, especially in EABO.
The author wrote an article full of ambiguity. He never seems to justify his claims with anything tangible.
The new Infantry Marine Course is bridging the gap in training between the infantry Marine and the Scout Sniper. Our gear is getting better as well. The M27 in the hands of a good marksman is good to 600 meters or more. The Next Gen Squad Weapon will be even more lethal at further ranges.
I don't see a need for a Scout Sniper Platoon in the future fight. What we need are capable squads. We need drone operators in the companies. We need organic precision fires in the form of guided and loitering munitions, not sniper rifles.
I would like to see the Marine Corps retain the Scout Sniper School and still train hand-picked infantry Marines to be snipers but they can then return to their squad and platoon and help make the unit better as a whole. A truly talented Sniper is a great asset to have and a force multiplier but they are few and far between. I love snipers but I'm not a fan of the Scout Sniper Platoon.
CWO5 Curtis is the Division Gunner at 3MARDIV. He can be reached at james.e.curtis@usmc.mil.