17:15
Why Have Soldiers Stopped Aiming?
Justin Taylor
Overview
This video explores the evolving role of aiming in modern warfare, contrasting traditional marksmanship with newer tactics and technologies. It discusses the historical shift away from unaimed fire, the resurgence of 'blind firing' or 'pre-firing' in close-quarters combat, and the impact of smart munitions and advanced optics that reduce the need for precise aiming. The summary highlights that while traditional aiming skills remain important, the battlefield is increasingly favoring volume of fire, automated targeting, and situational awareness over pure marksmanship in certain scenarios.
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Chapters
- Historically, aiming a rifle accurately has been a core military skill for all soldiers.
- Two primary methods for hitting targets are precise, aimed fire and 'accuracy by volume' (firing many rounds).
- Most situations benefit from a combination of both methods, using volume fire for suppression and aimed fire for precision.
- The effectiveness of volume fire is demonstrated by its use in pinning down enemies for flanking maneuvers.
Understanding the distinction between aimed fire and volume of fire is crucial for grasping how military tactics have evolved to balance precision with overwhelming force.
Combining machine guns for volume fire with rifles for accuracy within a squad.
- Modern warfare, particularly in trench environments, has revealed outdated training methods.
- Shooting around corners before visually confirming targets, known as 'pre-firing' or 'blindfiring,' is becoming a life-saving tactic.
- This tactic, once seen as undisciplined, can suppress enemies, allow safer cornering, and maintain surprise.
- The cultural shift to train unaimed fire was a significant hurdle, as it contradicted decades of emphasis on precision.
This chapter explains how seemingly undisciplined firing techniques are re-emerging as essential survival tactics in dynamic combat situations.
Shooting around a corner before visually clearing it to prevent immediate engagement upon exposure.
- Smart air-burst munitions reduce the need for precise aiming by exploding over a general area.
- These munitions can effectively neutralize targets in trenches or fortified positions with less individual aiming skill required.
- Advanced optics, like the XM157, incorporate targeting computers and rangefinders to assist soldiers in aiming.
- Optics like the SMASH are being developed to target drones, indicating a shift towards automated or assisted targeting for new threats.
New technologies are fundamentally changing the role of the individual soldier's aiming skill by automating or assisting the targeting process.
The XM157 scope, which uses built-in technology to guide a soldier's aim for precise hits.
- The US military previously trained 'quickfire' techniques, including hip-firing and general direction shooting, especially in close quarters.
- Programs like 'Quick Kill' in the late 1960s aimed to train fast, instinctual shooting.
- Higher ammo capacity and lower recoil in modern rifles made unaimed fire more viable than in the past.
- Doctrine eventually shifted away from unaimed fire due to safety concerns in training and a desire for precision, especially in civilian-heavy operational areas.
Understanding past training doctrines like 'quickfire' provides context for why unaimed firing was de-emphasized and how current trends are a departure from recent history.
The 'Quick Kill' program, designed to teach soldiers rapid, unaimed shooting from the hip or general direction.
- Training unaimed fire is difficult and dangerous due to the high risk of accidental friendly fire or shooting through walls.
- Military doctrine often represents an ideal, not always what is practiced due to resource and time constraints.
- The shift towards Short-Range Marksmanship (SRM) prioritized safer, more controlled engagement with aiming down sights.
- The focus on SRM was also influenced by operating in areas with high civilian populations, where minimizing collateral damage was paramount.
This chapter explains the practical reasons why unaimed firing, despite its potential battlefield utility, has been difficult to train and implement safely and effectively.
The risk of trainees accidentally shooting each other or through walls during simulated close-quarters combat training.
Key takeaways
- Modern warfare is integrating tactics like blindfiring, which prioritize speed and suppression over traditional precise aiming.
- Technological advancements, such as smart munitions and advanced optics, are increasingly automating or assisting the aiming process.
- Historical training programs like 'Quickfire' demonstrate that unaimed shooting has been a part of military doctrine, though it was later de-emphasized.
- The decision to move away from unaimed fire training was largely driven by safety concerns in training environments and operational considerations like civilian presence.
- While aiming skills remain important, the battlefield is evolving to incorporate volume of fire and technological aids that reduce reliance on individual marksmanship for every engagement.
- The effectiveness of blindfiring and pre-firing in saving lives by suppressing enemies and allowing safer movement is being recognized.
- The development of optics capable of engaging drones signifies a new frontier where traditional aiming is being augmented or replaced by automated systems.
Key terms
Accuracy by VolumeBlindfiringPre-firingQuickfireQuick KillShort-Range Marksmanship (SRM)Smart MunitionsAir-burst MunitionsXM157 OpticSMASH OpticRecon by Fire
Test your understanding
- What is the difference between 'accuracy by volume' and 'precise, aimed fire,' and how are they used together?
- How has the tactic of 'blindfiring' or 'pre-firing' evolved from being seen as undisciplined to a life-saving technique?
- Explain how smart munitions and advanced optics are changing the requirements for individual soldier aiming skills.
- What were the primary reasons the US military shifted away from training 'quickfire' techniques?
- Why is training unaimed firing methods considered dangerous and difficult in a controlled environment, and what are the implications for combat readiness?