US Army Europe and Africa Best Squad Competition continues in Germany

GRAFENWOEHR TRAINING AREA, Germany — The U.S. Army Europe and Africa Best Squad Competition kicked off with units from across the Europe and Africa theaters arriving at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany on July 31, 2024, to begin the competition.

Best Squad competitions are an opportunity for units to represent the best of their organization by sending their top-performing teams to exemplify the attributes all Soldiers should aspire to attain. The teams competing will have their medical, marksmanship and land navigation skills, along with various other warrior tasks, put to the test. The competitions rigorously test physical fitness through an Army Combat Fitness Test — an expert physical fitness assessment — a 12-mile ruck march and a wide variety of battle drills that test grit and team cohesion.

The squads competing this year hail from V Corps; Southern European Task Force, Africa; 21st Theater Sustainment Command; 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command; 7th Army Training Command; and the 2nd Theater Signal Brigade.

"This morning, we kicked off the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Best Squad Competition," U.S. Army Master Sgt. Jacob Hurt, the noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the USAREUR-AF G/3/7 Training and Exercise Division, said on the first day of the competition. "We've got nine competing squads from six major subordinate commands to USAREUR-AF. I'm pretty pumped. It was very motivating out here this morning. Everyone's doing really well, and I'm looking forward to what they're going to do this week."

With each team arriving at the Grafenwoehr Training Area having already won their respective unit's Best Squad Competition, every Soldier knew that with the title comes only the next challenge. Earning the moniker of Best Squad at the corps level means competing at the USAREUR-AF level competition, a challenge that leads to representing USAREUR-AF at the U.S. Army Best Squad Competition. The opportunity to represent their service is a challenge that each arriving squad is taking with serious intent.

"I'm looking forward to the tactical part," U.S. Army Sgt. Theodore Buckley, assigned to the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, said. "It's stuff I don't get to do on a regular basis. I'm really excited to get that experience with me and my Soldiers."

When asked about his team's chances of winning, Buckley acknowledged that in the early stages, everyone had a shot at victory. He emphasized, though, that his team is "here to win."

As important as individual events are for winning points, the teams' most significant challenge is maintaining energy reserves for the entire competition. Beyond just performing well in each event, they must move across the training area efficiently and effectively as they ruck between events. With the competition beginning July 31 and continuing through August 9, there are a lot of miles the Soldiers will get under their feet before they're done.

The Soldiers participating in the USAREUR-AF Best Squad Competition represent some of the best the Army offers in its ranks. Beyond just offering Soldiers and units the opportunity to showcase their abilities, Best Squad competitions exemplify the best attributes of individual Soldiers and their ability to work together as cohesive teams and accomplish tasks that an individual working alone cannot accomplish.

For more information about the competition, visit the USAREUR-AF Best Squad Competition website, and for high-resolution photos and videos, head to the official DVIDS page.

For more information, please contact U.S. Army Europe and Africa Public Affairs at media@army.mil.

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