Stealth meets lethality

Patience, deception and precision.

Vital attributes required to succeed as a sniper.

“It almost goes without saying that the ability of a marksman to remain undetected is a fundamental skill, but it’s so much more than just being able to move around stealthily – it’s the meticulous planning before you go into the field, it’s knowing every detail of your target’s movements and routines, it’s setting up decoys and employing deception techniques, and ultimately the need for incredible resilience and mental toughness to stay focused in all sorts of conditions, often isolated by yourself,” said Soldier X, one of the NZ Army snipers leading the exercise.

It may be days, weeks or even years of training and waiting for the opportunity to execute a mission, so when the moment comes, it can’t afford to be missed.

Recently, New Zealand and partner nations’ personnel were tested in the tussock grasses and changing conditions of the Waiouru Military Training Area as they honed their marksman skills and tactics on a course led by the New Zealand Army.

Not that you’d easily spot them, especially from a distance.

The Pacific Sniper module was one of three hosted by the NZ Army, which also included a Training Design and Intelligence module.

The course was delivered to support various long-range reconnaissance units within the Pacific, with soldiers from Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Fiji attending.

The NZ Army’s Director of International Engagements, Lieutenant Colonel Vanessa Ropitini, says this kind of opportunity to train alongside Pacific partners is invaluable, and an area where the NZDF gains valuable insight in return.

“Ngāti Tūmatauenga, the New Zealand Army is from, and of the Pacific – and so having the chance to get out into the training area with our sisters and brothers from the Pacific is not only hugely valuable on a personal level to build on those peer-to-peer relationships, but it also provides crucial insights into how we each operate, where our collective strengths are and how we can best support each other in the tactical environment,” said Lieutenant Colonel Ropitini.  

The high-quality training also allows our units to maintain a level of interoperability with our partners in the Pacific and continues to build on what are significant and deepening relationships in the region.

“The quality of soldiers in the Pacific from across all our partner nations is incredibly high, and so these weeks are not about teaching the basics – far from it. It’s about how do we refine our skills at that top-level, to enhance each of our capabilities and lethality. We look forward to the next opportunity to work alongside our partners,” said Lieutenant Colonel Ropitini.

The soldiers conducted a variety of training scenarios in both Ardmore and Waiouru, covering how to engage sniper targets, judge distances, stalk an objective, as well as a variety of skills around observing and reporting information and operating various equipment.

“The ability to train and operate alongside our Pacific comrades in advance marksmanship training - or any training for that matter - requires patience and a determination to succeed through kinship. We may have soldiers come to us with varying levels of knowledge and skill, including language barriers, but the diversity of cultures within the NZDF gives us a great scaffolding to do this, and we are renowned for our ability to foster relationships and build rapport in the field,” said Soldier X.

“Marksmen are a different breed of soldier who can either operate individually or in small teams, who take pride in their trade and are always looking for self-development. These are traits born out of our history and ones we wish to continue to strengthen alongside our Pacific brethren.”

*The NZ Army sniper cannot be named for operational and security reasons.