GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – A Norwegian Army sniper team from 1st Armored Battalion was named the winner in the 2025 U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) European Best Sniper Team (EBST) Competition, followed by a Latvian sniper team in second place, then a sniper team from Greece in third place, Nov. 22, 2025.

The Norwegian Sergeant and Lance Corporal 1st Class earned 463 points demonstrating mastery across all events; the Latvia team received 429 points, with acknowledgements of their speed and stealth in the stalking lanes; and Greece walked away with 383.5 points, earning kudos for their long-range engagement and performance during the stress shoot.

Sniper teams pose for a picture during the U.S. Army Europe and Africa European Best Sniper Team Competition in the Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Nov. 22, 2025. The USAREUR-AF EBST Competition is held annually at 7th Army Training Command’s Grafenwoehr Training Area and builds military readiness through realistic and challenging training scenarios, fosters military partnership and esprit des corps, and promotes NATO interoperability with Allied and Partner nations. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Collin Mackall)

“It’s been a great week competing here and competing against all these other nations, with lots of challenges," said the Norwegian Lance Corporal 1st Class. “It’s been fun meeting new challengers, going to new ranges, trying new things and being challenged in new ways we haven’t been before.”

“It’s nice going to somewhere else to see that the things we train in at our home unit – see that it works other places, and in other environments,” said the Norwegian Sergeant. “It’s been a good week to test the things we have been training at our home unit and see that things work. It’s a testament to the fact that we’re doing something right in our home unit.”

7ATC hosts the USAREUR-AF EBST annually in its Grafenwoehr or Hohenfels training areas, to build military readiness through realistic and challenging training scenarios, foster military partnership and esprit des corps, and promote NATO interoperability with Allied and Partner nations.​

The USAREUR-AF EBST had 35 teams of two service members each, from 22 countries, competing in 16 Sniper skill-level tasks over six days of scored activities.

The participating countries included Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S.

“You are the best that each of your nations and organizations has to offer and you represented them incredibly well,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Paul Fedorisin, 7th Army Training Command’s senior enlisted leader and the speaker at the competition’s award ceremony. “You have all directly contributed to interoperability across continent. Events like these provide our countries with the opportunity to appreciate each other’s capabilities and culture while fostering esprit des corps and sharing knowledge across the greater sniper community.

“This is more important now than in the last few decades, as we have multiple conflicts raging across the globe that are directly impacting all of us,” he said. “The modern battlefield is evolving faster than at any point in history. We must evolve our tactics, techniques, procedures and equipment - at speed - to remain survivable and lethal."

This year’s Best Sniper Competition was held later in the year to add a realistic challenge: the ever-changing winter weather in Bavaria. The Germany-based training area delivered with snow and below-freezing temperatures.

Brig. Gen. Terry Tillis, 7ATC commander, spoke to the competitors, saying, “the weather this week was rough; you guys endured a ton of stress on the body and your equipment. Thank you for coming out and competing.”

Throughout the week, competitors were evaluated on doctrinal sniper tasks like marksmanship, shooter/spotter team communication, land navigation, and target engagement with a variety of national weapons like pistols or rifles.

Competitors were tested on their abilities to engage targets of known and unknown distances, using cold bore shots and clean bore shots; and engage targets at moving at varying speeds and distances using alternate firing positions including a moving platform, elevated or obstructed positions, or in chemical environment.

“Each team brough a unique perspective and unparalleled professionalism,” said Command Sgt. Maj. ‘Titus’ Antia, EBST match president, from 7ATC’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center’s Warhog Observer, Coach/Trainer team. “We recognize the skills, endurance and dedication of the elite teams who battled over the past grueling days. They navigated complex scenarios, demonstrated mastery in precision marksmanship and exhibited tactical expertise that sets the standard for our Allied forces.”

On the final day of the competition, only the top 10 teams competed in two last events: a stalking lane and a final shooting challenge. Beyond the three who took home trophies, this included Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Italy, a second Latvian team, and the U.K.

U.S. Soldiers from U.S. Army Southern European Task Force - Africa, 21st Theater Sustainment Command and V Corps served as competition cadre to assist 7ATC with facilitating the competition.

7ATC is the premiere training organization, the U.S. Army’s largest overseas training command, who provides high-quality, realistic training for USAREUR-AF forces as well as multinational Allies and Partners.