In 2000 the US Army set forth guidelines for Squad Designated Marksmen (SDM) on paper in FM 3-22.9. The army's doctrine stated that the marksman was a regular organic rifleman first and performed as such within his unit, only engaging a threat at long range as a secondary skill set. This marksman was not a sniper in the traditional since but simply a better trained and equipped solder capable of making a more precision shot when needed. The SDM was to operate in the “marksmanship gap” between normal riflemen who topped out at 300 and trained long range sniper teams that operated above 600meters.
Development of the Program
Starting in 2001 units took it upon themselves to begin implementing their own SDM programs based on the Army’s guidelines. With lessons learned from operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the SDM programs of each unit deploying to 'the sandbox' undertook immediate evolution. Some units issued weapons acquired through local purchase orders from Springfield Armory including the SOPMOD M14 with commercial off the shelf optics such as the 3.5-10x40mm M3 Leupold LR/T and others. The field expedient solution of simply attaching a ACOG sight to a particularly accurate but otherwise stock M16 or M4 had also been used extensively. These units also have had to fall back up surplus Vietnam era M-21 rifles (accurized former sniper rifles) and 1960’s vintage M-14 rifles taken from storage to which scopes have been added until enough of the standardized weapons are available.
Training was set up in five phases firing some 1500 rounds over a two week period to allow Squad Designated Marksmen to hit targets reliably out to 500m and beyond. The curriculum was developed by the US Army's Marksmanship Unit with assistance from TRADOC and initial instruction was provided by nationally recognized shooters belonging to the Army's Service Rifle Team. Many of the instructors are members of the President's Hundred, made up of the 100-best marksmen in the military. The main difference with shooting past 300meters is that windage will always interfere with a shot to the point of non-engagement. Designated marksmen are therefore taught to read the wind and estimate reactions to ensure a properly placed shot. They are taught to understand minute of angle (MOA) and the mil-relation formula. These skills are not taught to ordinary riflemen. In the final exercise to graduate a DM candidate must engage 20 targets from 100-600m with 20 rounds in rapid succession, successfully hitting 14 with lethal hits. Since 2005 civilian CMP Military Rifle Instructors (including members of College shooting teams) have augmented the Army with the task of training so many SDMs.
The Designated Marksman's Rifle.
By 2004, Fort Benning’s Soldier Battle Lab with men from 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment evaluated weapons and tactics in support of the current weapon system. The current Designated Marksman's Rifle (DMR) is made by Army Marksmanship Unit shop in Ft Benning and is the based off of Knight 1 in 8 twist stainless fluted 20-inch 12 groove heavy barreled National Match A3 upper and a FN or Colt A2 lower with a two-stage match trigger and a. The optics are the rugged 4-power Trijicon ACOG sights and not a more exotic 10 or 12 power variable scope. It has a Harris bipod and M1913 rail for other attachments. Even though it is equipped normally with the optics, iron sites are still installed and in DM training both the iron sites and optics are used extensively and interchangeably. Its overall weight is still less than 10 pounds with optics and a full magazine. The weapon is coupled with the M262 77-grain cannelured HPBT Match round made for the military by Black Hills and can be used to accurately hit targets to an extreme of 800m in the DMR. The standard M193 Ball ammunition issued to regular soldiers is much lighter (55-grains) and does not meet the same specs but can be fired accurately out to 400m. A 62grain match round is also available but is eschewed in preference to the M262. The first 240 of these rifles, designated M16A4 AMU, were deployed with the 3rd Infantry Division to Iraq. So far the 3rd ID is the only unit to which the AMU is fielded.
With the standardization of both training and weapons, combat brigades in both the active regular Army and later in the National Guard and Reserves began to see full complements of trained and equipped SDMs. In February 2006 Sgt. Rhoda D. Riley of Company G, 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, 10th Mountain Division became the first female graduate of the DM program.
Sources
Johnson, Tyson Andrew Major US Army, The USAMU Squad Designated Marksman's Course Training Notes July-August 2008 issue of Infantry magazine (pgs 47-51).
Anderson, Gary Army Instructor Program Grows with CMP Support Jan 2006
Issue of The First Shot Journal of the CMP
Civilian Instructors to Support Army Marksmanship Training May 2005 issue of The First Shot Journal of the CMP
US Army Field Manual FM3-22.9
Halberstadt, Hans, Trigger Men: Shadow Team, Spider-Man, the Magnificent Bastards, and the American Combat Sniper McMillian 2008
Bartocci, Black Rifle II: The M16 into the 21st Century. Collector Grade Publications 2004
Bryant and Bryant, Weapons of the US Army Rangers. Zenith Press 2005
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