U.S. Army Europe and Africa Best Warrior Competition

U.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

2021 U.S. Army Europe and Africa Best Warrior Competitors.

EBWC - Imagery

EBWC Videos

Video by Spc. Elijah Magana

3rd Infantry Division highlights innovation initiatives during Combined Resolve 25-02

5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

May 9, 2025 | 1:43

U.S. Army Soldiers highlight innovation efforts and their involvement in the Army’s Transforming in Contact initiative during Combined Resolve 25-02 at Hohenfels Training Area, Hohenfels, Germany, May 5-9, 2025. 1st Armor Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division is one of the first mechanized units to undergo TIC, building off the innovative success of light brigade combat teams. Combined Resolve is part of the Army’s “Transforming in Contact” initiative, which assesses the effectiveness of electronic warfare and counter-unmanned aerial systems, as well as how force structure changes and current tactics align with emerging technologies. (U.S. Army video Spc. Elijah Magana)

~SOUNDBITES~

(00:03) U.S. Army Sgt. Drew Hammond:
“There's been a big push within our unit to prepare for combined resolve with these new initiatives.”

(00:07) U.S. Army Capt. Chace Scarboro:
“How can we take the tech systems that we're using? How can we integrate it in every warfighting function, whether it's intel, sustainment, protection, maneuver, fires. We are integrating in all aspects.”

(00:18) U.S. Army 1st Lt. Benjamin Storie:
“We started a drone builder lab with the purpose of innovation and additive manufacturing.”

(00:26) U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Melissa Rankel:
“You're no longer relying on shooting down a drone in order to intercept it or take a drone out. Now, you can safely counter a drone attack by taking over the drone and landing it somewhere.”

(00:40) U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Richard Levanti:
“Instead of having a soldier go up over the hill, they can have an unmanned aerial vehicle crest the hill, save lives.”

(00:46) U.S. Army 1st Lt. Benjamin Storie:
“And our drone operators have been specifically trained [to know] where their weak points of armor and are trained to render precision strikes.”

(00:54) U.S. Army Cpl. Elena Killough:
“And then we use those first-person view [drones] that prevent that loss of life and find the target that we are looking to impact.”

(01:02) U.S. Army
“With AI integration, the Shrike software will identify vehicles and splash before a human observer could.”

(01:10) U.S. Army Capt. Chace Scarboro:
“Being able to get a carrier system mounted on a Bradley, it helps protect that asset specifically.”

(01:18) U.S. Army 1st Lt. Cara Shattan
“The Beast+ is our first step as an army into modernizing our forces to be able to fight and win in the electromagnetic spectrum. So this way, we're forcing the enemy and our adversaries to consider their outputs, to consider their radio usage, to consider all the stuff that we have to consider. It's leveling the playing field, and it's enabling us to really target within the electromagnetic spectrum.”

(01:36) U.S. Army Sgt. Drew Hammond:
“Just it's the next evolution of how fires is implemented on the battlefield.”