From Thursday, September 28 to Saturday, October 7, 2023, Officers and NCOs of the Special Warfare Command of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (HNDGS) participated in the international military sniper competition “European Best Sniper Team Competition 2023”.

The competition was held in Hohenfels, Germany, and was organized by the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) of the US 7th Army Training Command.

The Special Warfare Command of HNDGS participated with 2 sniper teams, which won 4th and 5th place among 45 teams from 25 countries.

The achievement of the 4th and 5th place in the “European Best Sniper Team Competition 2023” comes as a continuation of the equally high performances in the “European Best Sniper Team Competition 2022”, during which the Greek Snipers ranked 1st and 4th among 36 teams from 18 countries.

The continuous distinctions of the Special Operations Forces – Special Forces reflect positively on their recent reorganization, which was achieved with the establishment of the Special Warfare Command, constituting a milestone in their evolutionary path and marking the creation of a powerful self-sustaining scheme of joint operational understanding and action, in accordance with international standards. Further, they provide expanded options to the Hierarchy in responding to every modern security challenge to safeguard National interests and achieve strategic goals.

The purpose of the competition was to exchange know-how, to update tactics, techniques, and use of new equipment, to strengthen the ties between the snipers of the participating countries as well as to increase their combat capability and interoperability.

Also read: HNDGS | The Hellenic Armed Forces participate in Special Operations Forces Exercise “BALKAN SPIRIT – 23” – Photos

The Competition is held every year and includes the following:

• Shooting with sniper rifles against stationary and moving targets, day and night, at known and unknown distances and in combination with scenarios of increased complexity and difficulty.
• Perform pistol shots from different positions under realistic conditions.
• Unobserved approach to the target and execution of a shot without locating the position of the snipers by the opponent.
• Topography, orientation, and direction keeping, carrying full gear.

The distinguished participation of the Special Warfare Command in the “European Best Sniper Team Competition 2023” contributed to the promotion of the level of operational readiness and cooperation of the participants in a multinational context. Furthermore, it demonstrated the Command’s extremely high operational level and its ability to respond to objects of increased complexity, projecting the combat capability of the Country’s Armed Forces in the modern operational environment.

Also read: HNDGS | The Hellenic Armed Forces participate in Multinational Exercise “NOBLE BLUEPRINT 23” – Photos & VIDEO