Editing Sniper (section)

===Military doctrine===
Different countries use different [[military doctrine]]s regarding snipers in [[military unit]]s, settings, and [[military tactics|tactics]].

A sniper's primary function in modern warfare is to stay concealed at all times and avoid detection. Then from long range, to provide detailed [[surveillance]] from a concealed position and, if necessary, to reduce the enemy's combat ability by shooting high-value targets (especially [[officer (armed forces)|officers]] and other [[VIP|key personnel]]), and in the process, cause disruption, [[suppression fire|pinning down]] and [[demoralization (warfare)|demoralizing the enemy]].<ref name="Plaster p. ">{{harvnb|Plaster|2007|p=}}</ref>{{page needed|date=February 2018}}<ref name="Plaster 1993 p. ">{{harvnb|Plaster|1993|p=}}</ref>{{page needed|date=February 2018}} Typical sniper missions include managing [[military intelligence|intelligence]] information they gather during [[reconnaissance]], [[target acquisition]] and [[bomb damage assessment|impact feedback]] for [[air strike]]s and [[artillery]], assisting employed combat force with accurate [[fire support]] and [[counter-sniper tactics]], killing enemy [[commander]]s, selecting targets of opportunity, and even [[matériel|destruction of military equipment]], which tend to require use of [[anti-materiel rifle]]s in the larger calibers such as the [[.50 BMG]], like the [[Barrett M82]], [[McMillan Tac-50]], and [[Denel NTW-20]].<ref name="Plaster 1993 p. "/>{{page needed|date=February 2018}}

[[Soviet]]- and Russian-derived military [[doctrine]]s include squad-level snipers. Snipers have increasingly been demonstrated as useful by US and UK forces in the recent [[2003 invasion of Iraq|Iraq campaign]] in a fire support role to cover the movement of infantry, especially in [[Urban combat|urban]] areas.<ref name="Plaster 1993 p. "/>{{page needed|date=February 2018}}

Military snipers from the US, UK and other countries that adopt their military doctrine are typically deployed in two-man [[Sniper#Sniper teams|sniper team]]s consisting of a shooter and a [[spotter (sniping)|spotter]].<ref name="Senich p. ">{{harvnb|Senich|1988|p=}}</ref>{{page needed|date=February 2018}} A common practice is for a shooter and a spotter to take turns to avoid [[asthenopia|eye fatigue]].<ref name="Plaster 1993 p. "/>{{page needed|date=February 2018}} In most recent combat operations occurring in large densely populated towns, such as [[Fallujah, Iraq]], two teams would be deployed together to increase their security and effectiveness in an urban environment. A sniper team would be armed with a long-range weapon and a rapid-firing shorter-ranged weapon in case of [[close quarter combat]].

The German doctrine of largely independent snipers and emphasis on concealment, developed during the Second World War, has been most influential on modern sniper tactics, and is currently used throughout Western militaries (examples are specialized camouflage clothing, concealment in terrain and emphasis on [[coup d'œil]]).<ref name="Senich 1982 p. ">{{harvnb|Senich|1982|p=}}</ref>{{page needed|date=February 2018}}<ref name="Shore p. 316">{{harvnb|Shore|1988|p=316}}</ref><ref>{{cite video
 | people      = Freigegeben ab 12 Jahren
 | date        = 2 January 2008
| title       = "Snipers during the First and Second World Wars": info taken from: ''Zeitgeschichte – Spezialeinheiten im Zweiten Weltkrieg: Scharfschützen''
 | medium      = Documentary film
 | language    = de
 | publisher   = EMS GmbH
 | time        = 57mins
 | id          = [[European Article Number|EAN]]: 4020974153959
}}</ref>