The dangers of improvised explosive devices are well known to U.S. forces, Congress and the public, but the threat of snipers doesn't get as much attention. And yet, sniper attacks in Iraq have quadrupled in the past year, according to budget justification documents released today by the Defense Department with the fiscal 2008 war supplemental request. Here's the section on snipers and force protection.

The dangers from enemy sniper attacks have increased steadily during the past year, with the number of attacks quadrupling. These attacks have not only caused numerous casualties, but have had an adverse psychological effect on both Coalition forces and the Iraqi civilian populace. Victims in sniper incidents have a fatality rate of over 70 percent. A shift in enemy tactics that increases the number of sniper attacks could potentially inflict even more casualties than IEDs. To guard against such a shift, the Amendment includes $1.4 billion for a full suite of counter-sniper capabilities designed to prevent, survive, and react to sniper attacks. This includes enhanced optics, soldier protection, active sniper defeat systems, sensors, concealment, and development of new tactics.

We've reported on the counter-sniper efforts here and in the April issue of DTI. The leading technology is the Army's Boomerang acoustic shooter detection system. Darpa's C-Sniper program aims to track snipers before they shoot.