The year ahead will mark significant milestones for Marine marksmanship with updates that effect everyone from fresh recruits to grizzled infantrymen.
Most of the changes are aimed at shifting emphasis towards away from bulls-eye marksmanship that has its roots in curriculum developed during World War I. That is to help Marines put disabling rounds on target, not just on the range, but while on the move.
Here's what you need to know in 2015:
The year ahead holds significant changes for marksmanship training as leaders continue to emphasize combat marksmanship over traditional bulls-eye marksmanship.
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Accuracy and shooting fundamentals will remain the basis for the service's training. However, updates to courses of fire and targets are meant to prepare Marines to shoot accurately when immersed in battlefield chaos. Like recent changes to pistol marksmanship, that includes time pressure, shooting moving targets, shooting on the move.
There are revisions to the service's four tables of fire including Table 1 used for annual rifle qualifications. Those include engagement techniques, positive identification of threats and the introduction of photo-realistic targets to aid with placement of disabling shots to the head, center mass and pelvic girdle.
Additionally, the service will create new uniform devices to denote top-level proficiency in pistol and rifle shooting.
Changes, like those to Table 1, were refined in October and will go into effect before the end of fiscal 2015.
