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Intelligence Center of Excellence Wins TRADOC Best Squad 2023

By Sgt. Maj. Jason Stadel, TRADOC Communication DirectorateAugust 31, 2023

TRADOC Best Squad Tactics, Maintenance, and Small Arms Fire
1 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Diego Vega with the Medical Center of Excellence fire M249 Squad Automatic Weapon during the TRADOC Best Squad Competition on Ft. Huachuca Arizona, August 25, 2023.

Lethality with Army utilized automatic weapons allows soldiers to deter and destroy the United States enemies in combat. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Bryon Mutherspaw) (Photo Credit: Sgt. Bryon Mutherspaw)
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TRADOC Best Squad Tactics, Maintenance, and Small Arms Fire
2 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Cory Graf with Maneuver Center of Excellence puts on his gas mask during the TRADOC Best Squad Competition on Ft. Huachuca Arizona, August 25, 2023.

Equipping the M50 gas mask in under nine seconds is a requirement for soldiers, so that they are able to protect themselves in time.(U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Byron Mutherspaw) (Photo Credit: Sgt. Bryon Mutherspaw)
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TRADOC Best Squad Tactics, Maintenance, and Small Arms Fire
3 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Bradley Joseph with Intelligence Center of Excellence reacts to a simulated gas attack during the TRADOC Best Squad Competition on Ft. Huachuca Arizona, August 25, 2023.

This simulation prepares the Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense(CBRN) capabilities of the soldiers in this competition. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Byron Mutherspaw) (Photo Credit: Sgt. Bryon Mutherspaw)
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TRADOC Best Squad Tactics, Maintenance, and Small Arms Fire
4 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Cory Graf with Maneuver Center of Excellence walks with his gas mask on during the TRADOC Best Squad Competition on Ft. Huachuca Arizona, August 25, 2023.

Mobility while in their gas mask is important to the soldiers ability to escape a chemical threat in combat.(U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Byron Mutherspaw) (Photo Credit: Sgt. Bryon Mutherspaw)
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Bisbee 1000
5 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Squad Leader, Staff Sgt. Austin Simms (Left) deciphers the anagrams gathered from the urban land navigation course with his squad during the TRADOC Best Squad Competition in the city of Bisbee, Arizona, August 26, 2023.

Simms and his squad acquired the anagrams from the nine points located at the nine different staircases in the Bisbee 1000 Trail. This course shows how TRADOC soldiers can critically think and maneuver in an urban environment. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Byron Mutherspaw) (Photo Credit: Sgt. Bryon Mutherspaw)
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Tombstone Scavenger Hunt
6 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Maj. Eric Murray, the Intelligence Center of Excellence Operations Sgt. Maj., provides instructions for the scavenger hunt during the TRADOC Best Squad Competition in the historic town of Tombstone, Arizona, August 26, 2023.

Murray is the leader of the team that executes the plans for the competition and provides on the spot instructions and guidance for the contestants. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Byron Mutherspaw) (Photo Credit: Sgt. Bryon Mutherspaw)
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Bisbee 1000
7 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The Intelligence Center of Excellence squad, led by Staff Sgt. Austin Simms, climbs the stairs of their final point in the urban land navigation course during the TRADOC Best Squad Competition in the city of Bisbee, Arizona, August 26, 2023.

The competitors in the urban land navigation course are traversing the Bisbee 1000 trail consisting of nine staircases spanning over four miles through the city. This course shows how TRADOC soldiers can critically think and maneuver in an urban environment. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Byron Mutherspaw) (Photo Credit: Sgt. Bryon Mutherspaw)
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Bisbee 1000
8 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Squad Leader, Staff Sgt. Shawn Fairman with the Center for Initial Military Training, leads his squad through an urban land navigation course during the TRADOC Best Squad Competition in the city of Bisbee, Arizona, August 26, 2023.

The competitors in the urban land navigation course are traversing the Bisbee 1000 trail consisting of nine staircases spanning over four miles through the city. This course shows how TRADOC soldiers can critically think and maneuver in an urban environment. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Byron Mutherspaw) (Photo Credit: Sgt. Bryon Mutherspaw)
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TRADOC Best Squad Tactics, Maintenance, and Small Arms Fire
9 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Frederic LeBlanc (Left) and Spc. Diego Vega (Right) with the Medical Center of Excellence fire M249 Squad Automatic Weapon during the TRADOC Best Squad Competition on Ft. Huachuca Arizona, August 25, 2023.

Lethality with Army utilized automatic weapons allows soldiers to deter and destroy the United States enemies in combat. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Bryon Mutherspaw) (Photo Credit: Sgt. Bryon Mutherspaw)
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Tombstone Scavenger Hunt
10 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The Medical Center of Excellence squad, led by Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Mcguire, finds clues for the scavenger hunt during the TRADOC Best Squad Competition in the historic town of Tombstone, Arizona, August 26, 2023.

Squads are given five questions to solve based on historic figures and events such as Doc Holiday, Big Nose Kate, and the Birdcage theater. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Byron Mutherspaw) (Photo Credit: Sgt. Bryon Mutherspaw)
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TRADOC Best Squad Winner Announcement
11 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The squad from the Intelligence Center of Excellence, led by Staff Sgt. Austin Simms, are announced the winners of the TRADOC Best Squad Competition in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, August 30, 2023.

Over the past seven days, the squads have ran, swam, and crawled through the many different events for the competition such as the obstacle course, Bisbee 1000, and B3B lanes to demonstrate their skill and efficiency in warrior tasks and battle drills. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Bryon Mutherspaw) (Photo Credit: Sgt. Bryon Mutherspaw)
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The United States Training and Doctrine Command announced the winner of the TRADOC Best Squad 2023 competition, held at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., over the last 10 days. Intelligence Center of Excellence beat out the other nine teams and will represent TRADOC in the U.S. Army Best Squad competition in September and October.

“I can’t say enough how proud I am of ICoE, and I know they will have a great chance at winning the Army’s Best Squad competition,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel T. Hendrex, TRADOC command sergeant major. “As we celebrate TRADOC’s 50th anniversary, this competition has shown us how skilled, professional, well-trained, and educated our NCO Corps is and how far we have come in the last five decades."

"All the teams and competitors here represent our expansive mission at TRADOC to train, educate, develop, and build the best Army in the world,” Hendrex added.

The teams that competed this year were: Combined Arms Center, Center for Initial Military Training, Intelligence Center of Excellence, Maneuver Center of Excellence, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, Cyber Center of Excellence, Aviation Center of Excellence, Combined Arms Support Command, Medical Center of Excellence and Fires Center of Excellence.

“I feel like we’ve prepared, and we’re ready to go [to the DA competition] and represent TRADOC and the Intelligence Center of Excellence,” said Spc. Drake Fryman.

In addition to winning the team award, ICoE’s Staff Sgt. Austin Simms and Pfc. Brady Dowell was named TRADOC Best NCO and Best Soldier, respectively. In addition, Simms will compete in September at the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant of the Year competition at Fort Jackson, S.C. The rest of the ICoE team is Sgt. Bradley Joseph, Staff Sgt. James Taber, and Fryman.

Other individual award winners were Staff Sgt. Cory Graf, MCoE, had the highest Army Combat Fitness Test, Simms was the Top Marksman, Drill and Ceremony/Uniform Inspection winner was Taber, ICoE, the Best Tactical Proficiency was Spc. Roby Bach from FCoE and the Technical Proficiency award was Staff Sgt. Kevin Bickly from CAC.

Over the last 10 days, the squads were pushed to their physical and mental limits with events that included more than 30 graded areas. The events included Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills, physical fitness, Army “E3B” lanes, knowledge tests, teamwork, and cohesiveness. ICoE was the competition's host unit and developed the grading criteria. The event organizers used Army physical and intellectual tests with a spin on using the local Arizona terrain and history.

“Each of the [competition’s] events were intended to test not only the squads’ physical, cognitive, and teamwork abilities but also to further connect the Army and the civilian population by allowing the communities to interact with the squads,” Sgt. Maj. Eric Murray, ICoE operations sergeant major, said.

Intelligence Center of Excellence will continue to train and prepare to represent TRADOC at the Army’s Best Squad competition at Fort Stewart, Ga. That competition will begin in late September and culminate at the AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition in October.