From the Field

[Posted: October 17, 2011]

Exercise Highland Sniper RSO 2LT Mulrain On the weekend of 23-25 September soldiers of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada deployed to General Vokes Range in the mountains outside Chilliwack, BC to conduct annual weapons qualification testing. The soldiers were equipped with new C7A2 rifles, recently upgraded with improved ergonomics; section machine-gunners fielded C9A1 light machine guns. The soldiers arrived Friday night to find tents already set up, and got plenty of sleep in anticipation of a long day of firing.

The rifle range was set to run throughout Saturday, with four relays of shooters. The range started with grouping and zeroing, with coaches to assist firers in adjusting their optical sights. Weapons tests involved snap-shooting and movement, firing from distances between 400m and 25m. Night firing was conducted that evening from close range, as the darkness of night in the mountains severely limits night visibility. The light machine gun range was conducted on Sunday morning, and required firers to engage targets at distances from 300m to 600m and included movement simulating an attack.

The personal weapons testing conducted on Exercise Highland Sniper is part of the basic yearly qualification required of every infantry soldier. It is also gateway training that allows soldiers to move on to more complex ranges that involve fire and movement in a tactical environment. The ultimate goal of this training is to successfully conduct section-, platoon-, and company-level live fire attacks on Exercise COUGAR SALVO 12 in May 2012. This exercise will see units from 39 Canadian Brigade Group deploy to Idaho to conduct challenging, realistic live fire training.