'Center! In the middle,' the instructor reports. One of the countersnipers drops his binoculars and reaches for his weapon, shouting to his colleague. Thirty seconds pass before a target pops up down range. 'Watch the threat area,' an instructor shouts. Both men peer through high-powered binoculars looking for threats. The wind caller takes cues from chimney smoke, flags or undulations from the atmosphere.Īt a firing range outside of Washington, the team demonstrates its skills in a variety of positions. If one countersniper spots a threat, that person prepares to shoot while the other member takes on the role of 'wind caller,' telling the shooter how to adjust his aim to counteract the wind.

The teams typically consist of two people, both armed with high-powered rifles, either of whom can shoot to deter an imminent threat. 'They will be familiar with every building they will be familiar with every potential threat.'īut the absence of gunfire - a welcome absence in this line of work - doesn't mean they have never identified or mitigated a threat, Sullivan says. has been surveyed, and that is done by the Countersniper Team,' said Secret Service director Mark Sullivan. 'When you look at that parade on the day of the inauguration, every building that we will pass by. Since the unit formed in 1971, the unit has never had to fire a JAR to safeguard a person they are assigned to protect. Bernard Hall jokingly calls the weapon a JAR - 'Just Another Rifle.' But they are mum about many other details, including how many teams will be deployed, how long they work and about their custom firearms. In fact, their mere presence at the inauguration has a deterrent effect, they say. The Secret Service doesn't mind you knowing they are up there. Secret Service's elite countersniper unit will be out in force, taking roof-top positions along Pennsylvania Avenue and elsewhere as the presidential motorcade glides past throngs of people for the swearing in of Barack Obama. On Tuesday at the inauguration, members of the U.S.

It's no secret they're with the Secret Service.

Counter sniper half life 2