Visit Finds Common Ground between Marksmanship Programs
OutdoorHub 06.19.14
Marksmanship is a fundamental skill throughout the world’s militaries, and the ability to hone that skill through expert training is crucial to the competency and capability of any land force. The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) and the British Army’s Small Arms School Corps (SASC) have similar missions and recently explored how the organizations might partner to further enhance marksmanship in the United States and United Kingdom.
British Maj. Ellis Harverson, commander of the Operational Shooting Training Team (OSST) 3rd (UK) Division, met with USAMU leadership and Soldiers this month to lay the ground work for a partnership.
“The visit was a great opportunity to discuss marksmanship and learn different ways of accomplishing the same task,” said Capt. Ryan Calhoon, USAMU operations officer. “The British Army has a lot to offer in their marksmanship doctrine, while the USAMU has a lot to offer in the individual instruction and courses that we teach as well as the competitive marksmanship piece.”
One of the core missions of the OSST and SASC is to promote a higher proficiency and understanding of what they call “the skill at arms and marksmanship” in order to improve shooting standards and therefore combat effectiveness across the 3rd (UK) division. According to Halverson, “skill at arms” is the foundation for shooting and covers all of the steps leading up to the trigger being pulled. It includes aiming, body position, loading and reacting to a stoppage. Marksmanship is the final result of hitting the target.
“The British Army has been working on marksmanship for a long time and has aspects of their training that is very mature,” Calhoon said. “The U.S. Army can benefit from seeing how the British Army is incorporating marksmanship into their noncommissioned officer education-equivalent schools and gain insight into how to implement marksmanship training into our own NCO schools.”
Harverson explained that the 3rd (UK) Division is the only U.K. high readiness division, so if the United Kingdom conducted an expeditionary operation they would send the lead element of the division, hence their focus on skill at arms and marksmanship.
USAMU and SASC are exploring four areas where the units might partner together including: delivery of courses, development of operational training, sport shooting and shooting trials that could involve short or long-term exchange programs between the militaries.
All those participating agreed that a similar spirit of learning, shared missions and a long history of cooperation between allies would drive any potential partnership.
“We look forward to exploring how we might better partner, especially through competition and training,” said Calhoon.
