If you're proud of your marksmanship STA BRITE badge but dream of earning a sharpshooter badge, keep practicing. Many marksman aspire to become sharpshooters and, ultimately, experts.
Here are the steps to earning the highest qualifications in riflery and opening up new career opportunities.
Marksmanship STA BRITE Badge
If you're a marksman, you've already proven your shooting prowess with a designated marksman rifle. To earn this qualification, you're required to hit 20 to 29 targets out of 40.
There are several ways you can improve your skills to become a sharpshooter. Getting in lots or fire range practice is important. But if you feel like you've hit a plateau, taking courses or private training with a sharpshooter can help you refine your technique.
Sharpshooter STA BRITE Badge
Once you're hitting 30 to 35, you'll qualify as a sharpshooter. The higher you move up on the skill echelon, though, the more difficult it is to break through to the next level.
One way to improve your techniques is to work as a spotter with expert sharpshooters. A spotter monitors the conditions to help the sniper take better shots. You will survey the lay of the land and monitor the wind speed to determine the correct range for the desired target.
Expert STA BRITE Badge
The ultimate recognition is Expert. To qualify as an expert, you need to nail 36 to 40 targets. But even then, once in live action, your actual hit rate will be lower. You're expected to hit 90 percent of the targets versus a 10 percent hit rate for the average soldier.
While as a marksman you may spend a lot of time working alongside the general infantry soldiers, as a sniper you will be involved in more strategic operations and special missions. One duty, for example, could be working as a spotter to isolate targets. This was the role of a Canadian sniper in Afghanistan in 2017 when he hit an Islamic state soldier two miles away. The now legendary roof shot prevented a bomb from being dropped on civilians.
Your skills as a sharpshooter are of high value to the army. Practice, practice, and more practice will open up more opportunities in the army and civilian life.
With your sniper training, you could work for:
- a sniper training program for the army, law enforcement, or private entity
- a private security group hired out for military and private operations
- law enforcement
- the FBI
Sharpshooter STA BRITE badges will open career doors, so the recognition is well worth the work.