Getting Out

LEAVE NO TRACE

The sniper team should take care to minimize the number of clues left at the hide and on the infiltration and exfiltration routes. This includes trash, spent shell casings, scrap paper from data books, pieces of ghillie suits, disturbed vegetation and footprints.

The fewer clues the sniper leaves as to his or tactics, techniques and procedures, the more difficult it will be for the enemy to predict the sniper’s behavior and protect against it.

MOVEMENT UNDER CONTACT

If the team is compromised and comes under attack, the team can maximize its protection by using a “bounding over-watch” method of maneuver. Team member A will be set behind cover, covering team member B’s movement to a covered position.

Once B is in place, A will get up and move past B to another covered position. And repeat. The length of these bounds will be dictated by available cover and by the closeness of the enemy and the severity of the fire.

It is advisable that the bounding member spend no more than 5 seconds exposed, at a time. When moving under enemy contact, the team should consider calling in for the support of neighboring units.

Even a few rounds of friendly mortar fire might be enough to dissuade a small enemy unit from continuing the pursuit. The well-planned mission will have multiple exfiltration routes for use, depending on the direction from which the enemy is advancing.

If the team has helicopter support, each of these routes should have designated landing zones towards which the team should be advancing.

If the team is operating with little support from other units, they should consider the use of Claymore mines to use in the defense of a hide and to use in the event of a retreat under contact.

It is common practice for recon units to have an easily accessible mine ready for deployment during retreat under contact. One team member will set it up in the path of the enemy in between bounds and then set it off as the enemy approaches it.

Royce Coleman, June 2012

References

J.K. Bowmaker, H.J.A. Dartnall, J. Physiology 298, (1980), pp 501-511

S. Thornton, J. Marion, Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems, (Brooks/Cole-Thomson Learning, 2004), pp 391-407

U.S. Army Field Manual 23-10, Sniper Training, (Department Of The Army, 1994)