FORT BENNING, Ga. – The Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning hosted the inaugural Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps National Drone Championship, March 7-8, 2025, at Freedom Hall on Lawson Army Airfield.
The event brought together 40 teams of Army JROTC cadets from across the Nation for two days of events designed to test their ability to pilot drones, communicate as a team, program autonomous flights, and properly document drone operations. Cadets also had the opportunity to “Meet the Army” through a series of demonstrations showcased during a “Rangers in Action” presentation which featured special extraction techniques, helocasting, combatives, and rappelling, and with a look at Armor vehicles; all to gain a view into the life of Infantry and Armor Soldiers.
“We are honored to be able to host this event,” said Maj. Douglas Dietrich, MCoE operations staff, small unmanned aerial systems plans officer. “This is a great opportunity for JRTOC cadets to compete in challenging scenarios that test their technical competency and teamwork while also getting a chance to see what the Army’s all about. We’re excited about what the future holds for these cadets and how they can impact the Solider of the future.”
U.S. Army Cadet Command, which is responsible for the training and preparation of both JROTC and Reserve Officer Training students, designed the competition to foster interest in careers related to science, technology, engineering and math, including drones; as well as building camaraderie and showcasing military life to participants.
“The first mission of Junior ROTC is to build better citizens for our nation,” said USACC Command Sgt. Maj. Roy Young. “So everything we do has citizenship involved. This competition brings in a technical and teamwork capability for possible careers and endeavors in our military for the cadets involved.”
Young expressed his excitement for the JROTC cadets who had the opportunity to develop their own perspective on what it’s like to be a Soldier.
“Today was spectacular,” Young said. “The cadets were able to see many of the different aspects and careers in the United States military, while demonstrating their proficiency in drones.”
Upon arrival to Fort Benning, cadets were assigned to barracks where they stayed alongside their teammates and other participants. To enhance their “Meet the Army” experience, cadets dined in the same dining halls as recruits and Soldiers. After experiencing a taste of Army life, they were led through a guided tour of the National Infantry Museum, followed by a walkthrough of the U.S. Army Armor and Cavalry Collection at Fort Benning.
“I have ambitions of going into the Army, and getting to see everything that goes on here has been really exciting,” said Army JROTC Cadet Braydon John, Timberland High School, St. Stephen, S.C. “I thought staying in the barracks was cool. It was like a big ‘ole sleep over with all your buddies.”
After a full day of activities learning about the Army, teams and instructors gathered in Freedom Hall on Lawson Army Airfield, Fort Benning’s global power projection platform, for the opening ceremony where each team was recognized and the structure of the competition was explained in detail. Cadets then had time to familiarize themselves with the drone challenges before judged events commenced the following day.
Main competition events kicked off the next morning with cadets flying drones through designated patterns, coding autonomous flight paths, and tackling objective-based courses that required teamwork and coordination. Every challenge incorporated a teamwork aspect, requiring cadets to work not only with their own team but also with teams from other schools.
“This event was huge,” said Army JROTC Cadet Evan Elekima, Mattie T. Blount High School, Eight Mile, Ala. “It’s a totally different experience from what’s back home. We made new connections and grew as a team. The teamwork and communication helped us succeed in the challenges and showed us how we can work better together.”
Army JROTC Cadet Tyler Pipkin, Timberland High School, St. Stephen, echoed the sentiment, highlighting the dedication his team showed as they prepared for the event. “We practiced three times a week for months to prepare for these challenges. The practices really helped us as a team,” said Pipkin.
During the drone challenges, cadets who were not actively competing had the opportunity to visit booths around Freedom Hall to learn about pursuing Army ROTC in college. Representatives from the eight brigades of Cadet Command were in attendance, each covering a region within the United States. Also in attendance, ROTC cadets offered insights into the life of an ROTC cadet for their respective universities, as well as the benefits of pursuing a path in an ROTC program.
“In this event, we aim to serve as active recruiters,” said Army ROTC Cadet Tanner James, Auburn University, Auburn, Ala. “We’re going out and telling them about ROTC and doing anything we can to help light a fire in them to go out and research it on their own.”
Another Auburn ROTC cadet, Garrett Folken, shared his motivation for teaching the competing JROTC cadets about ROTC in college. “I volunteered for this because in high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” said Folken. “Cadets came and spoke to me in high school about ROTC and helped steer me in that direction, so I want to give back and do that for others.”
As the competition concluded, teams gathered for a closing ceremony where an overall winner was announced. With an audience of cadets, instructors, and volunteers eagerly awaiting results; the cadets of Tafuna High School, located in American Samoa, were named champions.
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