Frontline Firepower
Written by Eric Poole.
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From 0 to 600 meters, Springfield’s accurized M14 provides tack-driving, rapid fire for U.S. soldiers

The demand for a DM (designated marksman) at the small-unit level cap**able of supplying rapid, accurate fire at enemy targets is being heard from all branches of the military. The U.S. Army considered a program to embed one sharpshooter in every squad to counter the insurgent’s tactics in Iraq and Afghanistan. This shooter became known as an SDM (squad designated marksman).

Any soldier who serves in the SDM slot is first a rifleman and secondly a designated marksman. The SDM isn’t a sniper and isn’t asked to engage targets with extreme precision at extreme ranges. The role of the SDM is to support the squad with well-aimed shots at ranges that might extend beyond 200 meters. Unlike snipers who take up strategic, static positions, SDMs are fluid and change their locations with the movement of their respective squad.