STA sniper (USMC)

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Surveillance and Target Acquisition or S.T.A, (pronounced "stay") snipers were United States Marine Corps units used primarily for information-gathering. Taking out hard targets and enemy personnel was not their main priority, although it was a secondary option.

Typically, each STA team had two members, the team leader equipped with a long-range, specially-made sniper rifle such as the M40 or the M24 SWS and a high-power spotting scope. The other team member would be equipped with a SASR (Special Application Scoped Rifle), usually in the .50 caliber class such as the M82A1, to give commanders the option of taking out heavy equipment or heavily armored targets. This type of team could be effective at a range of up to 1.25 miles if the environment was right. They would be part of a Scout Sniper Platoon (SSP) and would have 8-10 of these teams, some of which would be specially suited for night operations and fully capable of operating in complete darkness through use of specially made night vision scopes and infrared laser equipment.

The United States Marine Corps has officially phased out the name "Surveillance and Target Acquisition," and now uses the more generic phrase "Scout Sniper Platoon."

Anthony Swofford's experiences as a STA sniper are recounted in his book, Jarhead, and the 2005 movie of the same name.

The United States Army also maintains larger units (at the troop/company and squadron/battalion level) called Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) that serve similar roles to that of the Marine's STA units.