USMC mucking with S/S MOS again...

We've had split training, all the way through, I think. First the number 2 course, usually ran within the Brigade, then time in the cell, before heading to the number 1 course, held at the School of Infantry. That number 2 course still maintained a very high wash out percentage.
 
I don't get it. Why? Scout/Snipers are 0317s. Why make it 0315? I understand they've tweaked the course, but the number change seems arbitrary.
 
I don't get it. Why? Scout/Snipers are 0317s. Why make it 0315? I understand they've tweaked the course, but the number change seems arbitrary.
I’m not up to date but I did participate in some of the working groups leading up to this back in 2017. I believe they are sending Marines from boot camp to SOI to become 0315 basic snipers before they hit their STA platoons. This should be a scout or “PIG” mos and provides a baseline of training to build from through OJT. The 0315 returns to SOI at some point to attend the advanced sniper course to complete the sniper pipeline and receive the 0317 MOS.

Creating an MOS generates TECOM funding and enables M&RA to track/assign Marines with those skill sets.

It’s cool to have massively high attrition and all but the S/S courses only produced a fraction of our sniper requirement. A lot of that attrition was in the stalking lanes that none of the Division commanders really cared about. They asked the instructors to find a solution.... they didn’t do now the commanders are fixing it for them.
 
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I believe they are sending Marines from boot camp to SOI to become 0315 basic snipers before they hit their STA platoons.

Is there any evidence to suggest they can identify who is going to be a field craft dynamo at the recruiting stage? If I had a dollar for every recruit that was a wannabe sniper, that turned out to be a barely serviceable #3 rifleman...
 
Is there any evidence to suggest they can identify who is going to be a field craft dynamo at the recruiting stage? If I had a dollar for every recruit that was a wannabe sniper, that turned out to be a barely serviceable #3 rifleman...

They get identified on the rifle range at boot camp. I don't know what the exact criteria is now, but BITD Marine recruits who qualified high Expert in boot camp were considered potential candidates for Scout-Sniper school.
 
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I know shit about the Corps recruitment process for snipers. In Army basic I shot perfect 40/40 everytime we went to the range ( I was JROTC rifle team). That's how I got picked to go to an ad hoc program at Ft. Ritchie. I was on the PSD for our Colonel. Didn't really see the need for it given my duty assignment, close protection/courier. It was only a couple of weeks. As it was specific to a potential op environment.
 
As far as the 0315 MOS, there are still a lot of unknowns in the community as to how exactly it's going to play out, and I don't think they will be implemented any time soon. It is still very much in the testing phase. About 2 years ago SSBC west ran a "BETA" course of students who were recruited or voluntold out of SOI. It went just as you imagined it would. The students did not make their own wind calls and there were no stalks, only movements and concealments. Overall very watered down. Some didn't want to be there and requested to quit or failed events but were shoved through the course. 1/4 SSP was lucky and received all approx. 30 beta course Marines and had to figure out what to do with them. Some were squared away and others were not. Anyways I suppose headquarters took the data from the beta course and hopefully tweaked some things for this new 0315 concept. I really do think it could be a good thing for the community if done right, like a more in-depth training and screening process for the PIG's and a MOS to show for it.

For anyone that has been out of the community for awhile I'll give a quick update on some of the other things that are changing. Most likely IOT help 0317 become a primary MOS, as well as some other things, 1st Marine Regiment created RSTAC in 2017. Regimental Surveillance and Target Acquisition Company which consists of the STA platoons from each battalion: 1/1 (1st plt), 2/1 (2nd), 3/1 (3rd), and 1/4 (4th). The idea is to free up the STA platoons from the battalions to focus on training for school, as well as more schools allotments, and to allow HOG's to easily float between platoons to stack up whatever platoon is deploying. So far it has mostly been a success with a few bumps in the road of course. Many support it while many are against, what you could expect I suppose. Sorry if it's old news, hope it helps for some.
 
A former Squad Leader from of the platoons I was in is now a MSgt. He's a former SS school house instructor. He's not a fan of this experiment.
I believe I know who you're talking about and he recently picked up Master Guns. But he couldn't have said it better, and he would know better than anyone. He was in 1/4 not too long ago, talk about a stack haha.
 
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