Reconnaissance Sniper

A Recon Marine with Alpha Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion looks through the scope of a 50 caliber sniper rifle during a training exercise.

A 6-man Battalion Reconnaissance recon team is greatly enhanced if one or more of its members is scout sniper qualified.

Small Battalion Recon teams are typically deployed ahead of a main force - usually a Marine infantry unit - in order to gather intelligence on an objective.

In the exercise shown here, however, all of Alpha Company took part.

A smaller recon element set up a reconnaissance and surveillance post which scoped out the objective before other Alpha Company elements, supported by a mortar team from 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, carried out the raid.

As the raid force approached the objective, snipers, such as shown above, took out key personnel and equipment.