In this article, we will see the Army snipers salary, jobs, and duties.
Introduction
Before we dive into the main topic of this article, let’s talk a bit about what a sniper is. Snipers are long-range marksmen part of military/paramilitary forces. They have specialized training in long-range, high-grade marksmanship and various special operation techniques. Snipers are equipped with high-precision rifles with high-magnification optics which they use to take on their targets from long-range to avoid detection or from places where they can’t be seen. They also serve as scouts to report important tactical information back to their units.
The average salary for snipers in the US is $57,137. As an army sniper, you’ll have to pay an average federal tax of 22%. With an average salary of $57,137, you can expect to take home $44,566 per year.
Key Takeaways:
Snipers are:
- long-range sharpshooters part of military/paramilitary forces
- they use high-precision rifles with high-magnification optics and have training in a variety of special operations techniques including long-range high-grade marksmanship
- The average salary for snipers in the US is $57,137.
Army Snipers Salary
The average salary for snipers in the US is $57,137. Average snipers can expect to make between $53,016 and $133,561. Exceptional snipers can expect to make around $294,666. According to comparably, the compensation for snipers in San Francisco is 51% greater than the national average and totals at $86,322. Washington, DC has the second-highest compensation for snipers which is 34% greater than the national average totaling $76,563. Seattle has the third-highest compensation for snipers which is 7% higher than the national average totaling $61,136. Snipers’ salaries are 13% lower in Salt Lake City, 6% lower in Austin, and 3% lower in Phoenix than the national average totaling $49,710, $53,709, and $55,423 respectively. Higher pay can depend on several factors such as deployment to certain geographic locations with an increased risk to life or limb.
Key Takeaways:
- The average salary for snipers in the US is $57,137. Average snipers can make anywhere between $53,016 to $133,561 and top snipers can make $294,666
- San Francisco has the highest compensation average, D.C has the second-highest, and Seattle has the third-highest
- Higher pay depends on certain factors such as deployment to geographic locations with higher than normal risk to life or limb
What Do Army Snipers Do?
Snipers’ primary mission on the battlefield is reconnaissance.
Because snipers are masters of stealth, they’re tasked with sneaking behind enemy lines to gather information about the location, size, and strength of the enemy and relay that information to their command headquarters.
In addition to their primary role, If the mission requires it, snipers will engage with the enemy although their method of engagement is different from that of traditional soldiers. Instead of focusing on engaging the entire enemy forces, they focus on hunting key people in the enemy forces to dismantle and dishearten them.
Snipers will track enemy movements and wait patiently to look for an unsuspecting target of opportunity when they have no specific goal. They take out what will help their unit the most when looking to take out an enemy operative.
Furthermore, snipers also serve in support roles such as an overwatch position or a blocking action.
In overwatch positions, they will be set up in well-hidden places with a clear view of the battlefield to help the advancing forces by taking out enemy forces threatening their position. In blocking positions, snipers will help their ground forces defend the position they have secured.
Typical Day Of An Army Sniper
Snipers are part of special operations units representing the elite members of the armed forces.
During deployment, snipers’ job is to move towards their objective. This can have you walking all day through the woods to get to your mission and then laying in wait in the bushes and watching over your position all day long. When you’re not deployed, then you’re training to be ready for deployment which could come at any time.
Before going on a mission, snipers will conduct mission planning with their team to smooth out the details about the mission statement, and roles of every team member in the unit.
Since snipers are moving ahead of their unit, they’ll have to memorize their radio frequencies as they can’t carry those with them in case they’re compromised. They will also have to study their terrain, route, and mission.
All branches of the armed forces have their respective sniper schools for training snipers but the U.S. Marine Corps Scout Sniper School is widely accepted as the best. The USMC offers a two-month course to few candidates that are qualified to attend. These candidates are the best their respective branch has to offer. Out of the few taking the course, even fewer will emerge as “Scout Sniper Qualified.”
Key Takeaways:
- Sniper is part of a special operations unit
- Before the mission, they will go over the necessary details to get every member of the unit on the same page
- They move ahead of their unit towards their objective. Once there, they will defend that position
- If they’re not deployed, then they’re training for deployment
- The USMC offers a two-month sniper training course to a few qualified candidates of the armed forces
Handling the stress as an Army Sniper
Being a sniper is both tough and dangerous. The stress that accompanies the job is tremendous. According to Marine Scout Sniper Sgt. Brandon Choo, scout snipers “are going to be constantly tired, fatigued, dehydrated, probably cold, for sure wet, and always hungry.”
So how do snipers deal with all this whilst on a mission and not break under pressure?
Many snipers say that before going on a mission, they don’t think about it which helps keep them from being nervous and they let their training guide them.
Training helps keep the stress at bay. And they have all the motivation in the world to get up every day and train harder than their enemy because their unit and country are counting on them to get the job done. Whenever a mission gets tough, their fallback is on the countless hours of training they did.
However, sometimes the stress can become too much to handle. In that case, it is recommended that the snipers take a break and talk to their peers or go do something else to help them relax and then come back to it.
Key takeaways:
- Snipers don’t think about their mission, quiet their worries, and let the training be their guide
- Train every day to help build confidence in their ability to handle and get the job done
- If it gets too much, they take a break and talk to their peers or do something that helps them relax
How To Become An Army Sniper?
Being a sniper is not for everyone. You need to be calm, level-headed, and independent as you won’t always be able to rely on Command to guide your decisions.
The most important job requirement is to be trained to near perfection. Failure to do so can mean a death sentence for you and those in your unit.
To be considered for sniper school, a soldier must:
- be active duty/reserves/national guard
- have a rank of E3-E6 and have military occupation specialty (MOS) 11B, 19D, or 18 series
- have a solid performance record and no history of alcohol or drug abuse
- have written recommendation from their commander
- must volunteer for training at sniper school
- have a minimum physical profile code of 111221, recent valid physical, 20/20 vision, and color discrimination of red/green
- pass physical fitness test with a minimum score of 70 in each even 30 days before the start of the course
- have a DA Form 705 completed
- meet height and weight requirements of AR 600-9
- pass a psychological evaluation maximum of 1 year before the start of the course
- GT score of 100 or more
- have an expert qualification with the M4 rifle within six months of training
The sniper school’s training is rigorous and not for everyone. Graduation rates are in the range of 50%. You will need to talk to your commanding officers as they will know best if you have what it takes to succeed at sniper school.
Conclusion
To close, a career in the armed forces as a sniper can be lucrative. But more often than not, it’s not lucrative and is stressful and dangerous. It’s not for everyone. You have to carefully look at the pros and cons of becoming a sniper to decide if becoming a sniper is indeed what you want.
FAQs
Q1. Do snipers get to work by themselves?
A. No. Unlike in the movies, snipers work in 4-8 man teams. Each team has a shooter, spotter, radioman, and additional troops for security.
Q2. How are snipers usually killed in combat?
A. Usually, snipers get dealt with mortars, missiles, airstrikes, and counter sniping
