MOS (Military Professional Specialty) has been around since World War II. “We are shocked and saddened that our Marine Corps leadership appears to have forgotten the lessons learned in battle and paid for in the blood of our boys,” the US Marine Corps Sniper Scout Association wrote in Facebook (banned in Russia; owned by Meta Corporation, which is a recognized extremist in the Russian Federation).
A memo from Deputy Commander for Plans, Policy and Operations, Marine Corps Headquarters, Lt. Gen. David Furness, calls for “the immediate conversion of scout sniper platoons to reconnaissance platoons.” This means that infantry battalions will no longer have snipers and will be replaced by scouts that “provide the commander with up-to-date, reliable, accurate and operational information,” according to the New York Post. The memo also states that assigned marksmen, Marines who receive additional marksmanship training but are not snipers, will remain in the infantry companies along with the sniper rifles.
Beginning in fiscal year 2024, there will be no seats available for the Scout Sniper Basic Course. “Transitioning to a reconnaissance platoon will allow these Marines to focus their training and evaluation on reconnaissance, giving commanders the tools they need to accomplish their mission,” Capt. Ryan Bruce, a Marine Corps spokesman, said in a statement. an interview with Marine Corps Times.
The new reconnaissance platoons will consist of 26 Marines, a first lieutenant and an infantry gunnery sergeant, which will be larger than the traditional 18-Marine reconnaissance sniper platoons.
