Expert: Rod Powers - 10/9/2007

Question
QUESTION: I want to become a sniper in some branch of the military, but I am colorblind. I have read that colorblindness is a great advantage to snipers for picking out camouflage. Why does the military say it a "liability" and discourage it?

ANSWER: Hi Victor,

There isn't any AFSC (Air Force), MOS (Army & Marine Corps) or Rating (Navy & Coast Guard) for "sniper." Sniper is an "additional skill" that is held by members in addition to the normal duties of their AFSC/MOS/Rating.

In the vast majority of cases (especially in the Army & Marine Corps) snipers hold the MOS (job) of "Infantry." They perform sniper duties when required, and when not performing sniper duties, they perform as part of an Infantry unit. In the Navy and Air Force, they perform as part of a "ground combat unit" (Security Forces in the Air Force, and SEALS in the Navy). The Coast Guard doesn't have "snipers."

Infantry (Marine Corps and Army), and ground combat units (Air Force and Navy) very often use colored smoke or colored smoke flares to designate between enemy and friendly positions.

For example, a FAC (Forward Air Control) aircraft may very well designate enemy positions with red smoke flares, and drop green smoke flares over known friendly positions. That tells the infantry forces where the good guys are and where the bad guys are.

Or (to give another example), a patrol may be returning and will radio that they are popping "green smoke," to show their position when returning to base camp. It wouldn't be good if a sniper positioned on the parimeter shot at them because he couldn't tell the difference between the color of smoke signals used.

For more information about the United States Military, feel free to visit my U.S. Military Information Website at: http://usmilitary.about.com.

Hope this helps!

Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for the information, it clears up some of my misunderstandings. I failed to clarify that I am not actually colorblind I color deficient. I have never had a problem with identifying colors outside of the test with the colored dots. ie: I can see the colors of stop lights, I can match my clothes fine, and as far a electrical wiring, well I used to work as a electronics assembly technician at RDL Inc. (a high quality audio equipment manufacturer). I guess I have never specifically noticed if I can tell what color different kinds of smoke are, but why can't just show you the actual tasks and see if you can do them instead of failing you with a colored dot test.

Answer
Hi Victor,

If you are applying for service in the Army, or Marine Corps, and applying for an Infantry position (which would be required to become a sniper -- as I said before, "sniper" is not a job, it's an extra-duty, that one can apply for, only after becoming an infantry member), and if you fail the color test, then the regulations say that you will be tested to determine whether or not you can distinguish from "vivid red and vivid green." If you pass that second test, then you would be eligible for an Infantry job.

Hope this helps!

Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com