Photo Of The Day – We have Marine snipers with the Scout Sniper Platoon, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), as they provide overwatch during a Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) mission. The snipers are aboard USS New Orleans (LPD 18) in the Philippine Sea, during January of this year, and as you can see they’re using a mixture of bolt action and semi-automatic sniper rifles. Can you name all of them?

The 31st MEU is operating aboard ships of the America Expeditionary Strike Group in the 7th fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Snipers get all the gear.

The ship provides a flat surface, but I bet the snipers were hoping for less movement, wind and waves.

A U.S. Marine sniper with Scout Sniper Platoon, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) checking the wind speed and direction with a Kestrel.

Note the difference between the camera lens and the riflescopes.

All photos by the U.S. Marine Corps, taken by Sgt. Dominic Clay.