They are very close to me; they are not terribly far away; they are on my side of the fence.

I am Staff Sergeant Brian Moran.

I'm an instructor here at the United States Army Sniper Course.

So sniper school is a very important school not just to us, but also to the entire military as a whole.

It fills a very important role that allows units to expand their reach well beyond the front lines.

They are able to get behind enemy lines within very close proximity to targets, obtain very important reconnaissance that they can then send back to their units to be used for planning purposes.

Alright, first man, go ahead and come up.

So here on student number one, we've got what is known as a ghillie suit.

The purpose of the ghillie suit is to break up the individuals outline, and allow him to blend in with his surroundings.

Alright, there is still a second sniper in your immediate field of view.

The reason that we have to remain so unseen at all times, is obviously because we're trying to detect the enemy while remaining undetected ourselves.

When we operate, we operate in as small as two-man teams, so without ready support, we're not going to be able to sustain a long fire fight.

We need to be able to be unseen by the enemy, obtain the intelligence needed, and then be able to move out or take a shot if needed.

Second man, go ahead and come forward.

So, the individual here is covered head to toe in green foliage.

He's got broad leaves on him because his immediate area was also matched with green leaves, allowing him to blend into what's known as the negative space...

Or the space that does not take up mass.

So, he's done a good job here.

He's executed it well, and he's kept himself concealed from viewing eyes.

From the United States Army Sniper Course, thank you for viewing with us.

Thanks for watching.