Intense, Precision Training KDF Snipers Undergo

File Photo of Part of the KDF Sniper Team in Action
File Photo of Part of the KDF Sniper Team in Action
File

The Kenya Defense Forces (KDF), just like in movies, have a special unit of soldiers who take those long shots to neutralise the target. 

The unit is part of the special force that is usually deployed whenever a country is pursuing or defending itself from a foe who is sophisticated in one way or another.

The unit members, just like other KDF soldiers, undergo intensive training to help them acclimatise to what it takes to make fully-fledged military officers.

File Photo of A Military Sniper in Action
Photo of A Military Sniper in Action
Photo
Tim Kirkpatrick

The snipers form part of the special unit in the military. The unit is usually deployed in a group of six. But their training is characterised by a lot of precision and ingenuity. It involves learning a lot of mathematical concepts, physics, and geography.

According to Byron Adera, a former Special Forces Soldier, the training can transform any person to grasp the concepts required for one to make those long-range shots.

"Training can transform anyone so long as one has the willingness to learn. The munition bit and kinematics involve a lot of learning that is really painful. You know lessons learnt through pain are hard to forget," Adera stated during a recent interview on a local TV station.

The team is required to work in sink and there are a lot of calculations put into the munition.

"Maths and physics are very important. They learn the laws of kinetics. Soldiers in the special forces have to learn all those calculations and physics in order to set up the munition," Adera stated.

For one to be considered in that team, one has to be a quick thinker, able to implement and execute duties very fast. The training period is short, at most three months, and one has to understand everything. A soldier is phased out if they fail to grasp the concepts involved.

They also undergo physical training just like the rest of the KDF recruits which involves hitting the gym and sometimes learning some basics about martial arts and self-defense skills. 

An ideal team in the six special soldiers unit consists of a sniper and a spotter. Having a two-man team is more advantageous in the field as the spotter, even as the name suggests, carries his own scope which is powerful and easily identifies the enemy helping the snipper to do the elimination.

The duo works together with the main being to get their objective safely and as discreet as possible.

Their Training 

Special soldiers in the sniper are trained on the use of maps or photographs. That is meant to help them to determine the best route to the objective. In this line of training, they are taught how to stalk an enemy from the drop-off point to the objective.

They are also trained on how to set a position. This is vital in verifying that the position is well camouflaged. This also enables them to establish an escape route and a second well-camouflaged fallback position.

Another training also involves locating the target. This is where geography comes in learning directions and maps.

In the field, they work together to range the target, read the wind, and angle and adjust for other variables that may affect the shot then wait for the target.

One more training they undergo is to take the shot without missing then clear the area immediately. That's how precise the training is.

Once the shot is taken, the spotter is schooled on how to watch the shot to help the sniper readjust his aim or his position in the unlikely event that he misses his target. 

The spotter is also trained to track the shot by watching for that vapor trail.

The most important job of the spotter is to protect the shooter and the team. For this task, the spotter shoulders an automatic assault rifle.

In most cases, a sniper is trained to be a leader of the special unit. He coordinates with the command to put together the mission. The sniper has the final word in determining the route, position, rendezvous point, and escape route.

This plus other pieces of training makes a sniper team such a special unit in KDF.

File Photo of KDF Marksman in Action
File Photo of KDF Marksman in Action
File
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