It is backwards. That’s either an Ascent or a Credo, both of which have that heavy, textured section at one end. That’s the eyepiece adjustment. The narrow end (closest to the operator in the pic) is indeed the “front” of the scope.It's a
VCOG- note the the integrated mount (no rings!) and how long the grip splines are on the adjustment ring compared to the Ascent or Credo. Probably a 1-8x judging by the flare on the objective end. And yup, it's definitely on backwards. Not to mention the closed caps. Would love to know the story here- leaning toward some kind of joke like others are suspecting.
It appears as if the cover is on also. Not sure.
You can see the brass, so he’s firing it rapidly since there are 2 cases in the air close together.
Seems like it would have to be a joke. But it’s also hard to image a commander participating in something like this.
All strange.