FORT BENNING, Ga., (Dec. 9, 2015) -- The 198th Infantry Brigade Mungadai Challenge tests Soldiers on warrior skills, endurance and teamwork. It originated with Genghis Khan, who used it to test special forces before they went into battle.
"The events are all the events that we expect our Soldiers to go through coming out of Infantry one-station unit training," said Col. Richard Timmons, commander, 198th Infantry Brigade. "We, ourselves, have to be able to lead from the front and be able to do these same tasks ourselves."
The challenge included urban operations, conducting a raid, qualifying with their weapons, competing for times maneuvering through an obstacle course as a group, negotiating the confidence course as well as being required to accomplish military tasks and skills at the completion of the obstacles, Timmons said.
Each battalion created a nine-man Infantry squad to go through a series of events. They were evaluated, assessed and lead by the battalion commander.
The challenge gives the commanders an opportunity to work together, which Timmons said they don't get to do very often.
"It builds esprit de corps through hard work and shared misery," Timmons said.
In between events, squads moved tactically on foot, over the course of the 15- to 16-hour challenge and they covered approximately 20 miles throughout the Malone Range Complex, Timmons said.
Throughout the challenge, the events remain unknown, which calls for the commanders and executive officers to be adaptable and resilient, Timmons said.
"A lot of times we, as Infantry officers, we develop the training plans, but sometimes when it gets down to these individual-level tasks, we get a little rusty," Timmons said. "This hones our skills, shows us what we expect of our Soldiers and holds us accountable for the same things that we expect Soldiers to be able to do out here to graduate."
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