The spotlight fell on the NATO alliance last month as it gathered its leaders for a Washington D.C. summit and commemorated its 75th anniversary. Its member countries represent the most successful defensive alliance ever formed, but the armed forces of those allies also coincidentally represent some of the most renowned sniper programs in the world, each with a unique history and skillset. That the organization is thriving in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine sparks some hope that it can rescue the increasingly threatened field of sniping from a new form of war that threatens to leave it behind.
That new age of warfare that is being showcased in Ukraine, Gaza, and even other disputes such as the Myanmar civil war is not assigning the same importance to snipers that earlier conflicts have. Weaponized drones and advanced technology hold the attention of militaries to the detriment of trained snipers who are seen as both threatened and replaced by new developments. The United States Marine Corps, a longtime pioneer of the field, has drastically reworked its approach to sniping and scaled down its importance.1 It seems likely that this is the beginning of a global trend.
But snipers still have their uses and are more than capable of adapting to new forms of warfare just as they have done in the past.2 To survive the coming of a new age of combat, however, they will have to have advocates, the most likely of which are members of North Atlantic Treaty Organization. With the recent addition of Finland, the alliance has added another nation of extremely reputable snipers to the already impressive roster including the United States, Canada, and other powers such as Latvia, Greece, Turkey, and Slovenia that have shown merit. There is no community out there with a deeper collective history, investment, and talent in modern sniping.
How well the alliance can perpetuate the use and adaptation of snipers through a new age of warfare is not yet clear. The countries that make up NATO have fixed their attention on the war in Ukraine, which is perhaps the most pivotal testing ground for new tactics and technologies and has thus far seen limited use of sniping.3 On the other hand, a conflict in the organization’s backyard waged by its arch nemesis has inspired much greater levels of defense investment by European allies which could help revitalize their respective programs. A record 23 of the 32 NATO members will hit the established benchmark of 2% of GDP invested in defense spending this year,4 some of which will go toward training, equipping, and maintaining sniper teams. Indeed, that would be a prudent and efficient use of new funds, considering that snipers do need to be trained and prepared beforehand but are a relatively cheap component of an armed force. They need little equipment or manpower to fulfill their important roles of reconnaissance, undetected infiltration, and precision fire against critical targets. Utilized correctly, snipers have a disproportionate impact that augments other ground components and strikes at enemy organization and morale. NATO allies investing in sniping programs would get their money’s worth and have plenty left over for other more expensive assets.
NATO as an organization plans more on the strategic level than the tactical5 and is thus unlikely to have a direct role in promoting sniping, but the allies that comprise it can advance the field within their shared network and objectives. They can develop their own sniper programs, seek new innovations, and coordinate with other countries in those efforts. Many productive interactions already take place between nations and include joint training and knowledge sharing6 and annual contests that encourage friendly competition and exceptional training.7 A thriving NATO will hopefully mean that this cooperation expands even further and that effective adaptations are implemented swiftly to maximize the potential of the future’s snipers.
Now more than ever the future of sniping is intertwined with the NATO community. Well-trained snipers still have an integral role to play in NATO’s mission of deterrence and defense and represent a shared legacy for its members. Their capabilities are needed on the battlefield and make the alliance a more daunting foe, but they need advocates and sponsors to enter an era of combat that is hyper focused on drones and AI. Snipers and the transatlantic community have a lot to offer each other then. For NATO countries, the revitalization of sniping will further common goals and strengthen international ties, and for snipers it may very well be the key to their survival.
Over the next few months, we will dive into NATO’s connection to sniping, individually assessing the capabilities and history of some of the most renowned programs in the alliance. We will consider what makes the snipers of each nation unique and the valuable contributions they have made to the field.
Stirling E.
Sniper Central Global Affairs Analyst
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