U.S. Army Europe and Africa Best Warrior Competition

US Army Europe Best Warrior LogoU.S. Army units from across Europe converge to compete for the title of Best Warrior. The week-long event tests Soldier skills, endurance, fortitude and resourcefulness as well as intellectual and problem-solving capabilities. Officers, noncommissioned officers and junior enlisted Soldiers compete in separate categories and are evaluated on general military knowledge, physical fitness and common military tasks.

While some of the competition tasks are standard such as the Army Physical Fitness Test, written test, marksmanship, ruck march, land navigation and command sergeants major board; some of the challenges such as chemical defense and medical tasks - added to the stress of fitting everything into a few short days - makes the competition extra tough. 

Winners in the NCO and junior enlisted categories will advance to represent U.S. Army Europe and Africa at the Army Best Warrior Competition at Fort Lee, Virginia.

For more imagery, videos and news visit our DVIDS feature page at: U.S. Army Europe and Africa Best Warrior Competition

The Competitors
EBWC - Imagery
EBWC Videos
Video by Capt. Jennifer French
B-Roll: 173rd Airborne Brigade Employs Self-Built FPV Drones to Strike Simulated Enemy Targets During Swift Response 2025
173rd Airborne Brigade
May 20, 2025 | 0:45
U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade operated and detonated live First Person View (FPV) drones against a simulated dismounted enemy and an SUV-sized autonomous target at Pabradė Training Area, Lithuania, during Swift Response 2025, May 18, 2025. The FPV drone—built and configured in-house by paratroopers—demonstrates low-cost lethality and precision effects in complex terrain, expanding the brigade’s ability to integrate emerging technologies into maneuver warfare.

Swift Response is part of the U.S. Army’s DEFENDER 25 series, a large-scale training exercise conducted from May 11 to June 24, 2025, across 13 European countries with 29 Allied and partner nations. The exercise reinforces NATO interoperability, readiness, and deterrence through joint forcible entry operations, long-range fires, and multi-domain integration.

As the U.S. Army’s only forward-deployed Airborne Brigade in Europe, the 173rd Airborne Brigade serves as the Contingency Response Force for U.S. European Command, postured to deploy on short notice to defend NATO’s eastern flank.

(U.S. Army SKYDIO drone video footage by Sgt. Tristan Youngberg)
More

Up Next

More Videos

European Best Warrior Competition Winners 2021

 

Soldier

Winner: Spc. Shaun Lewis


Noncommisioned Officer

Winner: Sgt. Brent Grafmuller


Officer

Winner: 1st Lt. Jim Schooley