AMU: Pipeline for Spec Ops Weapons
From its origins of competitive shooting, the Army Marksmanship Unit has evolved into a test bed for developing new weapons—and improving old favorites.
When then-President Dwight Eisenhower ordered the establishment of the United States Marksmanship Unit (AMU) at Ft. Benning, Georgia, in March of 1956, little did anyone suspect that the AMU would become the Army’s “skunk works” for the testing and development of special-purpose weapons. The unit was initially given the mission of “competing in Inter-service, national, international, and Olympic competitions, promoting the Army, and enhancing combat readiness,” and it has embraced that role. The AMU placed second in the International Sniper Competition that was held at Ft. Benning the end of October 2006. The AMU competed against twenty-five teams from all over the world including units from the U.K., Canadian Army, Israeli Defense Force (IDF) sniper instructors, and from the Army, Air Force and Marines.
But the AMU has grown to take on a greater role in developing and improving weapons. The key to this unit’s success is the AMU’s staff of small-arms gunsmiths—people who represent the very best talent in the Department of Defense (DOD), if not the world. To quote an AMU fact sheet, “ Their most unique skill is the ability to take what they have learned in creating the most accurate competition firearms and transferring this knowledge into better combat weapons systems.”
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