Soviet- and Russian-derived military doctrines include squad-level snipers.

Snipers have
increasingly been demonstrated as useful by US and UK forces in the recent Iraq campaign in a fire
support role to cover the movement of infantry, especially in urban areas.[6][page needed]
Military snipers from the US, UK and other countries that adopt their military doctrine are typically
deployed in two-man sniper teams consisting of a shooter and a spotter.[7][page needed] A common
practice is for a shooter and a spotter to take turns in order to avoid eye fatigue.[6][page needed] In most
recent combat operations occurring in large densely populated towns, such as Fallujah, Iraq, two
teams would be deployed together to increase their security and effectiveness in an urban
environment. A sniper team would be armed with a long-range weapon and a rapid-firing shorter-
ranged weapon in case of close quarter combat.
The German doctrine of largely independent snipers and emphasis on concealment, developed
during the Second World War, has been most influential on modern sniper tactics, and is currently
used throughout Western militaries (examples are specialized camouflage clothing, concealment in
terrain and emphasis on coup d'œil).[8][page needed][9][10]

Sniper teams[edit]
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A U.S. Army sniper team from Jalalabad Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT)

Sniper rifles are classified as crew-served, as the term is used in the United States military. A sniper
team (or sniper cell) consists of a combination of one or more shooters with force protection
elements and support personnel: such as a spotter or a flanker. Within the Table of Organization and
Equipment for both the United States Army and the U.S. Marine Corps, the operator of the weapon
has an assistant trained to fulfill multiple roles, in addition to being sniper-qualified in the operation of
the weapon.[11]
The shooter fires the shot while the spotter assists in observation of targets, atmospheric conditions
and handles ancillary tasks as immediate security of their location, communication with other parties;
including directing artillery fire and close air support. A flanker's task is to observe areas not
immediately visible to the sniper or spotter and assist with the team's perimeter and rear security,
therefore flankers are usually armed with an assault rifle or battle rifle. Both spotter and flanker carry
additional ammunition and associated equipment.[12]
The spotter detects, observes, and assigns targets and watches for the results of the shot. Using
a spotting scope or a rangefinder, the spotter will also read the wind by using physical indicators and
the mirage caused by the heat on the ground. Also, in conjunction with the shooter, the spotter will
make calculations for distance, angle shooting (slant range), mil dot related calculations, correction
for atmospheric conditions and leads for moving targets. It is not unusual for the spotter to be
equipped with a notepad and a laptop computer specifically for performing these calculations.