Photo By Spc. Walter Guthrie | A Panamanian Special Operations comando checks his sights before the Fuerzas Comando...... read more read more
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SANTA DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC- Special Operations teams from 18 competing countries at this year’s Fuerzas Comando event low-crawled their way through a densely covered range outside the Dominican Army’s 1st Infantry Brigade military base, June 17.
Donned with ghillie suits and camouflage paint on their faces, the objective was for the two-man sniper teams to make their way through approximately 1,500 meters of thick brush and trees and remain undetected by the observing judges as they made their way to their final targets. In order to receive the maximum number of points, a sniper team has to be within 200 meters of each target before firing a blank round.
Each target also had a letter on it which needed to be correctly identified by each team in order for the team to be awarded extra points. The longer a sniper team goes without being detected, the more points they earn. The event was worth 100 points of each country’s overall competition score.
The sniper teams faced an extra hurdle, however, as the bright mid-day sun eliminated the shadows typically used by snipers to provide extra concealment on their position. This event, conducted in the thick vegetation and stony, rolling hills of the Dominican countryside, demanded that each team demonstrate the physical and mental toughness that are the hallmarks of Special Operations Forces.
One Paraguayan Special Operations soldier discussed the complexity of this event.
“It’s very difficult because the judges are snipers too, and they know where and what they are looking for,” he said. “You have to be smarter than them.”
With the two-and-a-half hour time limit ticking away, the sound of a sniper’s shot echoes through the valley. Soon after, hand-held radios come to life as the observers work to pinpoint the sniper’s location. Just then, a second shot rings out, the Brazilian team stands up and walks out of the tree line. For them, this part of the competition is done.
For the Brazilian team, the defending champions of last year’s Fuerzas Comando competition, this environment and terrain is familiar.
“It was pretty easy for us because we train for this type of scenario all the time,” said a member of the Brazilian sniper team. “We got within 70 meters.”
Exercise Fuerzas Comando is designed to promote the interoperability of Western hemisphere countries. The Dominican Republic is the host of this year’s competition and senior leader seminar and the United States Southern Command is the sponsor of this event. Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH) is the lead U.S. military organization for coordination.
| Date Taken: | 06.17.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 06.17.2010 22:17 |
| Story ID: | 51567 |
| Location: | SANTO DOMINGO, DO |
| Web Views: | 260 |
| Downloads: | 149 |
This work, Sniper teams shoot to win stalking event during Fuerzas Comando first full day of competition, by SPC Walter Guthrie, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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