American, South Korean Engineers compete to sharpen skills

CHEORWON, South Korea — Combat Engineers from the United States and South Korea competed to strengthen their interoperability as well as test their skills against one another on the Korean Peninsula, July 30.

Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 11th Engineer Battalion, 2ID Sustainment Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division and the Republic of Korea Army’s 5th Engineer Brigade went head-to-head in the Best Engineer Competition at the ROK 5th Engineer Brigade’s installation in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province.

The competition challenged participants in a series of rigorous events designed to test combat readiness, technical expertise, and teamwork under pressure. Some of the tasks the competitors had to overcome were digging an anti-tank ditch, creating an artillery fighting position, and reaching the anti-tank ditch using the D7 Dozer, a medium bulldozer.

The purpose of the event was to sharpen combat engineering skills while reinforcing the alliance between U.S. and ROK forces.

Spc. Zachary Pickett, a horizontal construction engineer assigned to the 11th Engineer Battalion reflected on why he joined.

“I wanted to come here and show the ropes for the newer guys,” he said. “Have them participate and see how it’s done, building an understanding with our allies so that if a combat situation comes around they can get it done and keep our guys protected.”

One of the participants, SSG Mico Santos, a NCO engineer also with the 11th Engineer Battalion, spoke on how he thought he did during the competition.

“We did pretty good,” he said. “We did a lot of training yesterday, trials and errors on all our stuff. We get better by practicing and competing. You put the work in today so you’re ready to start the real mission tomorrow.”

Brig. Gen. Scott Woodward, deputy commanding general (maneuver) of 2ID, and Brig. Gen. Woon Jang Lee, deputy commanding general (ROK) of 2ID, attended the event and commended participants for their professionalism, warrior spirit, and commitment to the mission.

Competitions like these reflect the 2nd Infantry Division’s continued dedication to enhancing combined readiness and sustaining a strong ROK-U.S. partnership.

2nd Infantry Division is the last remaining permanently forward-stationed division in the U.S. Army. Tasked with deterring aggression and maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula, the division stands ready to “Fight Tonight” in support of the Republic of Korea-U.S. Alliance.