U.S. Army National Guard Wins International Sniper Competition

History of Past:

In 2008, Vargas, then the head of the team, joined the Army. Before moving to the National Guard and being assigned to the 1-200 Infantry Battalion, he served in the 3rd Ranger Battalion. During that time, he also held the position of sniper squad commander. In 2006, Cotten enrolled in the National Guard; two years later, in 2010, he was sent to Iraq. Before becoming an instructor at the Army National Guard Marksmanship Training Center, he was a sniper section commander. He has held this position for the last three years. Smith enlisted in the National Guard in 2003 and was sent to Iraq the following year.

Current Situation:

Currently, his full-time job as a security executive in Las Vegas, he is also a member of the National Guard. He also has previous experience working as a sniper squad commander and as an instructor at the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center. Both are firefighters in the city of Shreveport, Louisiana, in the United States.

The 2023 International Sniper Competition was held April 10-13 in Fort Benning, Georgia, and it was won by a team of three troops from the Army National Guard.

Sgt. 1st Class Erik Vargas of the New Mexico Army National Guard, Sgt. Benjamin Cotten of the Arkansas Army National Guard and Sgt. Allen Smith of the Arkansas Army National Guard defeated 34 other teams from various branches of the United States Military and snipers from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

The snipers were put through a rigorous three-day test of their shooting, stamina, and problem-solving ability using a wide range of situations and different types of weaponry.

A whole team effort is required, Vargas said to Task & Purpose. "Allen was largely shooting with the 7.62 cartridge and Ben utilized the Magnum [.300 Norma Magnum] bullets, but everyone gets tested on all their talents," I said, explaining my proficiency with the M-17 pistol and MK-12 special-purpose rifle.

Team members had to "infiltrate at night, and continue moving into the day" in the first event, which was a "stalking" exercise. Cotten told Task & Purpose, "For this incident, they had drones, thermal capabilities." "Its original intent was to simulate a formidable adversary." Other occurrences also challenged the sniper's fast thinking and reflexes.

To expose a target identification, "you'd have the team leader create essentially a jigsaw puzzle," as Cotten put it. "Then we'd have to identify the target and engage."

To choose the proper opponent to fight, contestants may, for example, complete a math problem instead of a jigsaw puzzle.

Snipers would take on targets in urban settings, under time constraints, and from various shooting positions in other drills. One competition included giving teams weighted ammo boxes just before a ruck march. The lighter the team's loads, the fewer bullets they would have to fire. "The physical strain was always there", Smith said. "And I didn't get much sleep."

"All the events had a very low round count," Vargas said. "So failure was simply not an option." The victorious squad this year was modest about their victory.

"The most beneficial aspect is just making new connections and picking up new skills from everyone else." "Since we all come from unique situations, it's a great opportunity to talk to folks from various walks of life, pick up useful information from other people, and swap war stories," said Cotten.

"A lot of the same folks show up at multiple events," Smith said. "Everyone has been putting in the necessary effort and training for quite some time now."

All three have participated in the Winston V. Wilson sniper competition, another worldwide sniper competition held by the National Guard, and are members of the All Guard Marksmanship Team, comprised of some of the greatest sharpshooters from across the several state national guards.

Vargas stated, "A lot of the train-up, before we come together as a team, is on the individual". Once we master the basics, team communication is key.

Reference from:

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/international-sniper-competition-2023-army-national-guard/