Each year, at locations around the globe, the U.S. Army’s best and brightest Soldiers and noncommissioned officers vie for top honors in the Best Warrior Competition, which recognizes Soldiers who demonstrate commitment to the Army values, embody the Warrior Ethos and represent the force of the future.
Described as the “Super Bowl” of Army competitions, 26 of the Army’s finest warriors, representing 13 commands from around the globe, compete in the annual Best Warrior Competition.
The weeklong competition, which begins at the unit level, is comprised of a series of grueling events designed to mentally and physically test the participants in order to identify the top Soldier and NCO.
During the event, competitors go through a warfare simulation, board interview, physical fitness test, written exam, 12-mile road march, day and night land navigation, as well as Warrior tasks and battle drills.
The 902nd Military Intelligence Group, which provides direct and general counterintelligence support to Army activities and major commands, held its competition at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, in March.
“The biggest thing about a competition like this is that it takes people out of their comfort zone,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Gordon S. Walker, command sergeant major, 902nd MI Group. “Because this is not stuff they do day in and day out, it tests their mental makeup. It’s not just about learning the tasks and being able to execute them. It’s about teaching junior leaders how to be adaptable and agile when dealing with stressful situations.”
“The biggest thing about a competition like this is that it takes people out of their comfort zone.”
- Command Sgt. Maj. Gordon S. Walker
When it was all said and done, Sgt. Jeremy Milam and Spc. Kyle Papish distinguished themselves as the Best Warriors in the 902nd MI Group and advanced to the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command’s Northern Region Competition, which was also held at Fort George G. Meade, in May.
While much of the regional event mirrored that of the subordinate level, the biggest difference was the addition of the Marine Corps Obstacle Course, which consisted of 17 obstacles that varied in difficulty and height.
The 340-foot-long course is designed to increase service members’ trust and confidence in their mental and physical abilities while cultivating the “can-do” spirit when faced with physically challenging obstacles.
“You learn a lot about your strengths and weaknesses during this competition,” said Spc. David Kaifer, who represented the 902nd MI Group at INSCOM’s Northern Region Competition after Papish was named a candidate for Special Forces Assessment and Selection, which conflicted with the dates of the regional event.
“You learn a lot about your strengths and weaknesses during this competition.”
- Spc. David Kaifer
“I did well at the more physical events, like the obstacle course and the PT test, but land nav and some of the other events like that were tougher for me. I’m a very competitive person, so even when I know I’m not as strong at certain events, I’m going to put forth my best possible effort,” Kaifer added.
At the conclusion of the regional competition, Sgt. Patrick Lippiatt, of the 704th MI Brigade, and Kaifer advanced to the command-level event, with a chance to represent INSCOM — an Army major command that conducts intelligence, security and information operations for military commanders and national decision makers — at stake.
Qualifying for the Army-level event is no small feat, considering how many weeklong competitions soldiers and NCOs must win along the way to earn their spot. Even if the Best Warrior hopefuls never spent a minute studying for board interviews and written exams, preparing their uniforms for inspection and/or ensuring they’re in peak physical shape for PT tests, road marches and more, they still must dedicate at least a month working their way up to the ultimate competition.
In short, Soldiers competing for Best Warrior honors for the first time quickly learn just how much of a commitment each competition requires.
“Last year, I came back from the Basic Leader Course and was informed I would be participating in the Best Warrior Competition,” Milam said. “I had three days’ notice, so I spent six hours a day getting as prepared as possible. Having just completed a 30-day leadership course definitely helped, but you can never have enough time to prepare for something like this.”
“You can never have enough time to prepare for something like this.”
- Sgt. Jeremy Milam
There is a line in the NCO Creed that states: “I will strive to remain technically and tactically proficient.” Because INSCOM soldiers have limited opportunities to develop their tactical skills on a regular basis, Walker highly encourages members of the 902nd MI Group to participate in this grueling challenge.
“It’s important for INSCOM soldiers to participate in events such as the Best Warrior Competition because they are not in a tactical unit,” he said. “For many of them, the last time they went over a lot of this stuff was in basic or advanced individual training.
“This is one of those rare opportunities we have to address that,” Walker added.
Additionally, as the Army continues to downsize and promotions become more and more competitive, Soldiers looking to advance their careers need to find ways to stand out from their peers.
“It drives me crazy when I hear a junior soldier complaining about not being able to get promoted,” said Walker. “How are you setting yourself apart from your peers? The Army is only getting smaller, so how are you distancing yourself from the pack? Somebody is getting promoted. What are you doing to be that somebody?”
Milam is one soldier who clearly took Walker’s words to heart, competing and ultimately winning the 902nd MI Group’s Best Warrior Competition as a specialist last year. The 29-year-old Dallas native earned a promotion to sergeant in February, opted to participate in this year’s event and was named the Group’s top noncommissioned officer.
“Participating in the Best Warrior Competition the last two years has absolutely made me a better soldier,” Milam said. “Doing all of the individual events and getting hands-on time with these weapons gives me experience very few soldiers in my career field Group have.”
At the end of the day, that’s why soldiers should absolutely strive to compete in the Best Warrior Competition, according to Walker.
“Regardless of how they do moving forward, these are the Group’s NCO and Soldier of the Year meaning they represent the largest counterintelligence unit in the Department of Defense,” he said. “Whatever happens next, they’ll come back to the unit better trained and better prepared to pass on what they’ve learned to their soldiers.”
