This is a repost of a story from a few years ago. I was reminded of it based in a TTP you’ll see later today.
When I joined the Army in 1985, most of my senior NCO leadership had served in Vietnam. They were men who had seen combat and we hung on their every word as we trained.
In the late 80s, I served in a LRSD in Germany. We turned to photocopies of a document produced by the Vietnam-era Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and Observation Group’s Det B-52 aka Project Delta called ‘Reconnaissance Tips Of The Trade.’
We poured over its 32 pages which were gold to us, offering guidance on how to configure equipment and conduct ourselves on patrols. Some of the information was outdated due to equipment changes, other data was not applicable because we faced a different foe, on different terrain. However, the basics remained the same.
Around the same time, 1st Bn, 7th SFG(A) were gathering their own lessons learned from operations in Central America which would not be released formally until the mid-90s. This update was entitled “Combat Recon Manual: Tips of the Trade” but is often referred to as the “ODB-720 Tips.” Unfortunately, it was much more difficult to share information pre-internet and I never saw a copy until I was about to leave a 3rd Group SOT-A for the Air Force.
The original B-52 Manual is available on the web from Chapter 31 of the Special Forces Association at www.sfa31.org/deltarecontips. Whether you’re reading from a historical perspective or a professional one, there are still a few gems in there. You can find the ODB-720 Tips here.
“Snipers (were tested) on their skills in intense events that look, feel, and sound like modern-ground combat,” said Lt. Col. Scott Elliott, the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Special Warfare Training Group, commander. “The instructors of the Special Forces Sniper Course, the premiere U.S. military school for long-range marksmanship and sniper options, designed events that will challenge the three-person teams’ ability to work together.”
Sniper teams from 1st, 3rd, 5th,7th, 10th, and 19th Special Forces groups, as well as the 75th Ranger Regiment, represented the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Both U.S. Marine Forces Special Operations Command and Naval Special Warfare Command had two sniper teams each, and one team from the U.S. Coast Guard completed the roster of competitors.
