MICC Soldier named 2025 Army Contracting Command Best Warrior

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (April 30, 2025) –A noncommissioned officer assigned to the Mission and Installation Contracting Command was named the 2025 Army Contracting Command Best Warrior and NCO of the fiscal year during an awards presentation hosted by ACC April 25 at the Volunteer Training Site in Catoosa County, Georgia.

The 2025 ACC Best Warrior is Sgt. 1st Class Devin Fuller, a contracting NCO in the 919th Contracting Battalion at Fort Bliss, Texas, under the 418th Contracting Support Brigade at Fort Cavazos, Texas. Command Sgt. Maj. Rachel Harris, the ACC command sergeant major, presented Fuller with a trophy, tokens of achievement and an Army Commendation Medal during the event. Harris was assisted by the MICC command team, Brig. Gen. Freddy Adams and Command Sgt. Maj. JennyAnne Bright, headquartered at Joint Base San Antoino-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

“Congratulations to Sgt. 1st Class Fuller of the 919th Contracting Battalion, 418th Contracting Support Brigade, for winning the fiscal year 2025 ACC Best Warrior Competition, and all the NCOs who participated in the competition,” Bright said.

The BWC is an annual event that tests the ACC’s top performing NCOs on their physical fitness, tactical proficiency, leadership and knowledge of Army doctrine. The BWC showcases the best NCOs to push their limits while reinforcing warfighting, readiness, professional development and the Warrior Ethos. The grueling event promotes esprit de corps, excellence and the highest standards of Soldiering.

“NCOs build cohesive teams that are disciplined, well-trained and fit,” Bright continued. “The leaders who competed in the ACC Best Warrior Competition are just that.”

Staff Sgt. Rebecca Malpica of the 925th Contracting Battalion at Fort Drum, New York, represented MICC’s other brigade, the 419th CSB headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, during the grueling 5-day event. Fuller and Malpica were among nine NCO candidates from across eight contracting support brigades and the ACC headquarters who were assessed to be the best of their peers and, therefore, selected to participate in the competition from April 21-25. The 2025 ACC best warrior competition comprised 13 evaluated events, including the Army Combat Fitness Test, a six-mile road march, a combat water survival test, weapons qualification, land navigation and other warrior tasks and battle drills. Administrative hurdles the challengers needed to master included an exam, written essay and participation in a formal selection board.

“These phenomenal NCOs pushed themselves in every domain: from physical readiness and doctrinal testing to critical thinking and adaptability under stress. What I observed over the course of five days is that our contracting professionals and logisticians are not only subject matter experts in their technical duties—they are warfighters, leaders and enablers of mission success,” Bright said. “All the competitors displayed a strong determination to win despite the physical demand and unforgiving conditions.”

Staff Sgt. Thierry Ndika of the 409th Contracting Support Brigade at Sembach Kaserne, Germany is the ACC 2025 Best Warrior Competition runner-up, with the second-highest scores in the competition.

Harris said, “Sgt. 1st Class Fuller and Staff Sgt. Ndika exhibited attributes which embody the Warrior Ethos, displaying the total Soldier concept and earned the title as ACC’s Best Warrior NCO of the Year for 2025.” The ACC Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Doug Lowrey, added that the ACC Best Warrior Competition tested the elite warriors’ skills and Soldier aptitude.

“Sgt. 1st Class Fuller is the consummate professional,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Joshua Thompson, the 418th CSB command sergeant major. “His attention to detail, tenacity, technical and tactical skills and his Warrior Ethos are to credit for this accomplishment; these attributes will serve him well during the next higher competition and as he progresses through the ranks in the Army.”

A 51C contracting noncommissioned officer with over 10 years of service in the Army, Fuller attributes a large part of his success in the competition to the external support he received from his leadership, Master Sgt. Tamika Williams who was his unit sponsor, his peers and his spouse.

"The competition was intense and inspiring; from the candidates to the cadre," Fuller said, he was motivated by the positive support he received from those closest to him. “My wife pushed me to give my best and Master Sgt. Williams checked in daily to make sure I was taking care of myself. The positive energy from everyone, including fellow competitors, made it a challenge worth embracing. I encourage every Soldier to step out of their comfort zone in this manner."

Fuller’s skills and limits will be further tested when he represents ACC at the 2025 Army Materiel Command Best Warrior Competition scheduled for May 6-9 at Fort Novosel, Alabama.

About the MICC

Headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command consists of about 1,500 military and civilian members who are responsible for contracting goods and services in support of Soldiers as well as readying trained contracting units for the operating force and contingency environment when called upon. As part of its mission, MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, facilitating training in the preparation of more than 100,000 conventional force members annually, training more than 500,000 students each year, and maintaining more than 14.4 million acres of land and 170,000 structures.