Sniper platoon commanders course
Course training statement: “To train officers and senior soldiers to command, control & manage snipers formations during times of peace and conflict and to advise senior commanders on all sniping matters”
Course description: “The course provides the students with the knowledge and awareness to manage & maintain the operational capabilities of a sniper formation during peace & war. It teaches the student how to monitora sniper unit’s operational efficiency and be a competent sniper advisor to higher command. It will provide the students with the background information to maintain the sniper formation equipment schedule & the daily management of the sniper formation”
Course title: Sniper platoon commanders course
Qualification: Sniper platoon commander
Course duration: 8 weeks
Teaching periods per day: 8
Length of teaching period: 40 minutes
Practical field exercises: Yes
Course entry standards
Rank: Officers (captain – lt), soldiers (snco) or equivalent
Basic fitness test: 3.2 klm run
Endurance march: 16 klms with 15kg + weapon & fluids
Basic navigation test: Theory & practical
Medical: Fit to attend arduous training

Block syllabus
- Definition of a sniper – primary and secondary roles of a sniper, sniper team, section & platoon
- The organization of a sniper platoon
- Roles & responsibilities of a sniper platoon commander
- Sniper platoon methods of employment
- Battle-group capabilities, bg, hq & bg istar lesson one (1), (2) & (3)
- Mortars
- Fire-planning
- Combat estimate – the 7 questions
- Sniper ptn commanders formal back-brief (the combat estimate)
- Anti-tanks (atk)
- Mmgs (medium machine guns)
- Joint terminal aircraft control (jtac)
- Types of orders & briefings
- Mission planning and battle procedure – roc drills/rehearsals (opsec)
- Fire support teams (fst) & capabilities
- Communication and information systems (cis)
- Battlespace management
- Phases of war – enabling operations
- Phases of war – offensive operations
- Phases of war – defensive operations
- Phases of war – stabilization operations
- Counter terrorist operations – roles and responsibilities of a sniper team
- Battle damage assessment
- Other operational tasks
- Orders – the execution paragraph
- Advising senior commanders in conflict
- Advising senior commanders in times of peace
- Sniper platoon capabilities – weapons & munitions
- Sniper platoon capabilities – optics
- Sniper observation posts
- Sniper hides
- Logging and reporting, the range card and panoramic sketch
- Demonstration – sniper surveillance operational boxes
- Sniper co-ordination templates
- Platoon stalk
- Platoon stalk map and model ex demonstration
- Live fire one (1) 100 & 500 metres – grouping and zeroing practise – the shooting data log
- The cold shot shooter and spotter drills
- Range procedures & responsibilities
- Target recce theory
- Counter sniper operations
- Counter sniper threat assessment
- Brigade stap (surveillance, target and acquisition plan)
- Construction of a counter sniper threat report
- Convening and running sniper courses
- The defence systems approach to training
- Training objectives & enabling objectives
- Sniper programming
- Sniper presentations
- Sniper platoon weekly & monthly inspections schedules & responsibilities
- Snipers working in urban environments
- Range procedures & responsibilities
- Orders coy commanders orders to platoon commanders
- Section commanders orders
- The sniper ambush offensive operations
- Exfiltration and post deployment back-briefs
- Post action sniper patrol report writing
- Sniper turnkey procurement and report writing
- Sniper procurement – weapons
- Sniper procurement – optics
- Sniper procurement – munitions
- Maintenance of weapons, inspections & weapon reports
- Shooting data books, cold shot logs and legal implications
- The seven sniper skills – 7 steps
- Types of shooting practises
- Demonstration of a range shooting box
- Recce of field-craft stands
- Sniper training field-craft box
- Construction of a field-craft letter
- Practical construction of sniper field-craft letters
- Construction of a sniper live fire range letter
- Practical recce of ranges
- Training performance statements supporting mission requirements – sniper exercises (types)
- Construction of an exercise administration instruction
- Battalion snipers career path
- Battalion sniper personal welfare and pyschological effects
- Snipers personal records and annual report writing
- Interview techniques
- Investment in snipers skills and standards
- The sniper solution to the threat of drones
- Practical field exercise – rural environment
- Practical field exercise – urban environment