Inside the Competitions That Prepare the Army’s Infantry for Future Fights

Hi, I'm Nicole McCall with The Epic Times, one of America's largest independent newspapers.

Today's story is about the competitions at Infantry Week in Fort Benning, Georgia,

that prepare soldiers for the battlefield.

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In early April, hundreds of troops from across the country and the world gathered in Fort Benning,

Georgia for Infantry Week.

Throughout the week, they tested their skills in five grueling competitions, all designed

to test their prowess in ground combat.

They competed in things like hand-to-hand fighting, long-range barkmanship, and multi-mile rock marches,

which involves marching with a weighted backpack.

One of the competitions is rewarded with accolades and soldiers get bragging rights.

But the real reward is improvement in skills that can be used on real-world battlefields.

Brigadier General Philip Kinnery is Commandment of the Infantry School

at the US Army Manoeuvre Center of Excellence at Fort Benning.

He told us the five competitions showcase the essential war-fighting capabilities

that our soldiers need to be lethal, resilient, and ready for any threat across the globe.

From April 7th to the 10th, troops competed in airborne operations, field reconnaissance, and stealth,

marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat.

And even more demanding, 3D gauntlet capped the week as teams contended for the title of Best Ranger.

Staff Sergeant Kevin Cozial examined a door bundle that a team had prepared for air drop from a moving aircraft.

The overall straightness of the slowed, the slip, I don't like that, he said.

Cozial is a qualified jeunt master, meaning the expert peer trooper responsible for airborne operations inside an aircraft.

In this context, he's a judge in the competition for Best Jeunt Master.

Competitors were split into seven four-man teams.

They showed how they could deploy themselves and their equipment into a battlefield,

such as packing and using their parachutes.

Teams were judged on their scores across various events.

They were tested on their physical fitness and their knowledge of equipment and parachute infantry history.

They also had to demonstrate their ability to rig parachutes for specialized items and how to correctly inspect parachute equipment.

A team representing Ford Benning's airborne and Ranger training brigade won the inaugural Best Jeunt Master competition.

The last large-scale U.S. parachute assault into a combat zone was in Iraq in 2003.

About 1,000 peer troopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade dropped into Northern Iraq.

Such large parachute assaults have become less common in recent wars.

But peer troopers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division still have this capability.

They recently deployed to the Middle East amid fighting with Iran.

The ability to air drop supplies also remains relevant.

The U.S. military did multiple air drops of humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip after Israel invaded.

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Marine Staff Sergeant Tyler Johnson ran up to the firing line carrying a bolt-action MK-22 sniper rifle.

He sent his rifle on the ground and began relaying target instructions over a walkie-talkie to his teammate who was out of sight.

This is known as a communications planning event.

The two teammates had to identify targets, shoot and then relay info about their shots to their teammate who was physically separated.

There were 34 teams competing in this international spiper competition.

Unlike other competitions, this one was open to the Marine Corps, the Navy and international competitors.

Teams from Europe, the UK, Canada, Brazil, South Korea, and Singapore also competed.

Judges assigned their marksmanship, observation, and reconnaissance skills and stealth in the field.

Army Staff Sergeant Mason John graduated from the sniper course only a month before the competition.

He said he was humbled to be in the presence of so many veteran teams.

He told us it's extremely motivating to see those guys out getting after it.

John and his teammate, Sergeant Darian Jones, represented the Army's 10th Mountain Division in the 34 team competition.

They both came to the Army as general infantrymen, but went through sniper training as an additional qualification.

You just kind of fall in love with the craft, Jones said.

Getting better seeing results and progress, you want more. It's addicting.

The military week also featured a mixed martial arts competition known as a Lasirda Cup.

The competition serves as a test of soldiers hand-to-hand fighting skills.

21 teams from across the Army competed across eight weight classes.

Soldiers competed on April 10th for top placements across the various individual weight classes.

The team representing the 101st Airborne Division placed first in the team-wide competition.

This year's best mortar competition featured more events than the previous years.

Competitors are still tested on their ability to aim and fire various mortar systems.

But this year, they did land navigation in marches, and were tested on their marksmanship with rifles and machine guns.

Among the new events was a marksmanship challenge with the Army's new M250 light machine gun.

The M250 was designed as a replacement for the Army's M249.

The Army is letting soldiers train with it so that it can get some feedback before deploying it.

A team representing the 2nd Calvary Regiment won this year's mortar competition.

The competition for best ranger started before dawn on April 10th.

21, two man teams from across the Army lined up for the 5th and final competition of Infantry Week.

The starting gun went off shortly after 5am, and the teams charged forward into the dark.

The competition would last for three days in total.

They started with a multi-run swim run event.

Then there was the buy-in event to determine the top 40 teams.

Those 40 teams would continue on through the rest of the day.

Competitors ran through a series of events to test their soldiering skills,

which included using a wide range of weapons and military equipment.

The first day ended with what they called a ranger reckoning.

The teams were whittled down from 40 to the top 32.

The second day of the contest saw teams fast-rope from helicopters onto a field.

Fast-roping is when soldiers slide down a rope without a harness or anything to slow their descent.

This tested their physical strength, stamina, and technical proficiency.

Once on the ground, competitors were asked to repair a military vehicle,

search through a building with a drone, and get through a series of locked doors.

On the morning of the third day, competitors from the top 16 teams

lapped from helicopters into a pond.

They swam to shore where they were met with a series of other tests,

archery, wall climbing, rappling, and getting out of an escape room.

After that, they entered the final leg of the competition, a two-mile foot race.

Each event counted towards a team's overall score in the competition.

Throughout the three-day event, competitors walked 60 miles carrying about 80 pounds of gear.

Their food intake was minimal and sleep was limited.

The competition is designed to emulate some of the challenges of the Army's 62-day Ranger School.

Colonel Stuart Lindsay is Commander of the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade at Fort Bunning.

He told us at Ranger School,

this is America's leadership crucible, and we prepare Americans for their worst day.

Well, thanks for listening to our report.

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This is Nicole McCaw with the Epic Times. We'll see you next time.