Sniper team
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Sniper teams are used in military doctrines of the United States, Canada and United Kingdom in sniper warfare, as well as in the police forces. A sniper team consists of two persons (sometime 3 or 4 depending on the mission and if anti-material sniper weapons are used), sniper and spotter, also referred to as marksman and observer. Both of them are usually fully qualified as sniper, but they have different duties. These duties are often rotated for various reasons, for example to reduce eye fatigue of the spotter during observation.
The main duty of the sniper is to take the shot, detailed in the sniper article.
The spotter detects, observes, and assigns the target and watches for the results of the shot. The spotter is the 'brain' of the sniping team. Using his spotting scope, he will also read the wind by using physical indicators (dust, leaves...) and the mirage caused by the heat on the ground. Also, in conjunction with the shooter, he will accurately make calculations for the distance, angle shooting (slant range), mils dot related calculation, correction for atmospheric conditions, and leads for moving target.
He also provides the team security, therefore he is usually armed, e.g., with an automatic assault rifle. It is often the case that the sniper rifle is assigned exclusively to a single person, therefore in the case of rotation the spotter carries two weapons.
The spotter is also usually tasked to ensure proper communication with adjacent units, adjusting indirect fire and close air support for the team.
