Under darkness, the Navy SEALs infiltrated the area by parachute. Along with their weapons and boats, they jumped from a cargo plane. Once in the ocean, the commandos made it to and boarded the Bainbridge. Among the team, three SEALs carried sniper rifles, presumably MK-13 bolt-action .300 Winchester Magnums. These weapons were preferred for their heavy barrels and reliable accuracy.
Aboard the Bainbridge, the SEALs took action. These men were most likely elite even among Navy SEALs and part of DEVGRU, or the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group. SEAL Team Six, as they were known, were prepared for just such missions, and they needed no guidance or direction. Three of the men were snipers and occupied different positions on the ship’s fan-tail. Elevation allowed them to look down on the lifeboat, which had been tied to the Bainbridge, allowing the pirates a smoother ride in the destroyer’s wake. After sundown, the snipers attached PVS/22 universal night sights to their rifles while their spotters guided them onto their targets. The ships provided enough ambient light for the snipers to see their targets well.
During the night the lifeboat attached to the Bainbridge was quietly pulled to within thirty meters of the ship. The snipers had each designated certain targets for themselves, and kept their crosshairs steadily on them. Through their scopes, the pirates’ heads would have fully encompassed the sights, allowing them to hit their targets anywhere in the head if need be. Their weapons, capable of holding three shots within a one-inch-by-one-inch target at one hundred yards, could easily score instant incapacitation kills, leaving no time for physical reactions from the pirates.
As directed by their commanders, the snipers were to strike when the captain was in imminent danger. Behind their rifles, the snipers had the confidence needed to make the shots. Their training had encompassed such scenarios, and they had a few things in their favor. The pirates were not aware that the snipers were tracking their every move. Despite the small boat moving in such seas, with their rifles and optics, the distance made the shots incredibly easy for the snipers. The only thing they waited for was for the targets to expose themselves enough that the snipers could fire simultaneously.
Suddenly, two pirates appeared from an opening in the lifeboat. The third man held an AK-47 to Captain Phillips. It was time for the snipers to react. Each SEAL sighted in and held a target. A quick countdown allowed them to fire at the same moment. In a flash, three bullets ended the hostage situation.
The situation was just the type of scenario that calls for snipers. It’s no surprise that trained professional snipers are now being heavily sought after in the military. Just as the military calls upon snipers, however, so also does the civilian sector.
Unfortunately 9/11 has had effects on security, both nationally and internationally. However, as a result, new opportunities are available for snipers who decide that the military is no longer an option. Now security contracting companies providing high-level protection see the need to incorporate snipers into their workforce. Companies such as Triple Canopy, Xe Services (formerly Blackwater), and DynCorp International are just a few where snipers can find employment.
As hazardous as it may seem to some, working for a security contracting company has its upsides. Phenomenal pay, freedom, and the ability to use one’s skills are draws to these positions for snipers. But while providing some benefits, security contracting jobs are dangerous, whether you’re a sniper or not.
AJ, a former marine, has served in Iraq as a military sniper and a contractor sniper. He explains the details of working for the Department of Defense as a security contractor:I served in the Marines, and spent most of my time in a reconnaissance battalion. There, sniping is usually a secondary occupation until the skill is needed during war. As a result, I exited the military to be a government contractor, not specifically to be a sniper. I started off doing personal security details, and once the company I worked for found out that I had the specialty of a sniper, they wanted me to become certified as a State Department sniper. The extra certification pays more, so of course I jumped at the chance. In this industry, keeping a job is very competitive, and the more credentials you have, the better the chance that you will keep working.
When asked about the missions and the benefits of contractor sniping, AJ candidly replied: The missions are very simple. Once the team receives their principle (the person that their designated to protect), then mission planning starts. These principles are government officials and other VIPs. Our job is to protect them at all costs, during convoys and while they are at their venues. As a sniper, I help with the personal security, and when we reach our destination, I take an elevated position. The major benefit of this job, when the money is taken away, is only self-satisfaction. The best thing about being a sniper during missions is being able to watch over the rest of your team, and knowing that you’re able to protect them.
The act of sniping for the military and for the State Department is very different. This job is fun because you are away from the big military force and are truly an independent operator. Here, there is no one to look over your shoulder, and the decisions that you make rely entirely upon your history and experience. This is why to become a contractor requires many years of experience. Also, the more experience, the better quality of jobs you may receive.
Another very important, and developing, aspect to sniping is technology. With the advancement of sniper operations in all sectors, technology is also rapidly growing to suit the skill. Recently there has been a development of advanced weapons, bringing sniping to a new level. One company, Space Dynamics Laboratory, from Utah, has developed the ARSS (Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System). Essentially, it is remote-controlled flying sniper system firing .338-caliber ammunition. The use of this is undeniably exciting for troops on the ground. A robot with the ability to collect intelligence, observe, report, and provide accurate fire, all with no cost to human lives, shows the rapidly changing world of sniping.
Other developments have come in many forms. Today, U.S. marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen are being supplied with better weapons, optics, and equipment than ever before. Even more important, however, U.S. military snipers are now receiving the best training available, and the U.S. Army Sniper Association has helped immensely with their International Sniper Competition.
Every year, at Fort Benning, Georgia, military snipers gather for this competition. Sniper teams from all services, including law enforcement agencies, as well as sniper teams from various other countries, are invited to compete in the most comprehensive and realistic sniper training available. The event also brings snipers together to share valuable tactical information, relevant to any sniper, in any scenario.
In the years of the War on Terror, military snipers have made all the difference. Gains in technology and equipment have been phenomenal. At the end of the day, however, there will never be a substitute for an intelligent warrior equipped with a precision-fired weapon and the training to employ it as a sniper.
Hunters: U.S. Snipers in the War on Terror Page 22