Background
The addition of an embedded marksman at the platoon or squad level has been a continuing process in the U.S. military. The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) experimented with this during Project Metropolis, before creating the "Squad Advanced Marksman" (SAM) position along with the Squad Advanced Marksman Rifle (SAM-R) specifically for this purpose.
The 3rd Infantry Division followed suit in implementing a training program to have one marksman per squad, the Squad Designated Marksman (SDM), and developing a rifle, the Squad Designated Marksman Rifle (SDM-R). The SDM is an integral part of the squad and serves as a rifleman first and designated marksman second. The SDM is not meant to be a squad sniper who engages the enemy with precision fire at extreme ranges, but instead is trained to directly support the squad with well-aimed shots at ranges slightly beyond the normal engagement distances for riflemen.
Much like the U.S. Marine Corps SAM-R, the 3rd Infantry division SDM-R was an accurized M16 rifle (5.56x45mm NATO caliber) built in-house by the U.S. Army Advanced Marksmanship Unit, and was informally known as "the AMU rifle". SDM-R's have only been built for one major Army division and is not an Army program of record. The SDM-R is designed to provide engagement capability at the squad level to 600 meters, similar to the needs expressed by members of USSOCOM that led to the development of weapons such as the United States Navy Mark 12 Mod X Special Purpose Rifle (SPR) and the SEAL Recon Rifle.
The National Guard Marksmanship Training Center of the Arkansas Army National Guard conducts the fourteen day long Squad Designated Marksman Course at Camp Joseph T. Robinson. Soldiers fire over 1500 rounds from the M16A4 rifle under the close supervision of course cadre.
Task Force Small Arms Readiness Group (TF SARG) conducts the week-long SDM course at the SARG academy at Camp Bullis, Texas. Many of the instructors are President's 100 recipients.
Read more about this topic: United States Army Squad Designated Marksman Rifle
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