JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas — Noncommissioned officers from across the Mission and Installation Contracting Command enterprise competed in brigade-level Best Warrior competitions held the first two quarters of fiscal year 2026, securing the opportunity to represent their brigades and the MICC at the Army Contracting Command Best Warrior Competition at the end of this month.
Each of MICC’s three contracting support brigades began with approximately half a dozen competitors before naming primary and alternate NCOs to advance for the coveted ACC Best Warrior title. While coordinating and conducting the competitions required significant time, planning and resources, MICC and brigade leaders said the investment was essential to ensure NCOs were thoroughly tested before advancing to the ACC level BWC.
At the 410th Contracting Support Brigade, which recently transitioned under MICC’s command and control at Fort Sam Houston from the ACC, Staff Sgt. David Garza was selected as the FY26 Best Warrior, with Staff Sgt. Adam Jacob Harwood named runner-up. The 410th tested their best warriors Dec. 2-5, in the first quarter of FY 26. The NCOs were evaluated through an Army Fitness Test, ruck march, stress shoot, written essay, weapons qualification and a formal board review. Garza scored the most points to secure the win, with Harwood a close second.
“I look forward to seeing Staff Sgt. Garza and Staff Sgt. Harwood represent the brigade at the ACC Best Warrior Competition,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Deaquennette Thomas, the 410th command sergeant major.
“Their performance demonstrates that disciplined preparation and continuous effort yield positive results. Strong NCOs build strong teams, and both leaders have proven they can set the standard and bring others with them.”
The 418th Contracting Support Brigade, based at Fort Hood, Texas, selected Staff Sgt. Joshua Eash of the 901st Contracting Battalion as its Best Warrior and Staff Sgt. Zachary Faust as runner-up following a competition Feb. 9-12 designed to mirror the physical and mental demands of higher-level events. Competitors faced a demanding series of evaluations, including an Army Fitness Test, a physical assessment consisting of a five-mile run, cumulative 750- and 1,000-pound club lifts and a 500-meter swim, as well as an eight-mile ruck march, written mental assessment and a formal appearance and evaluation board. Leaders said the events placed significant physical and cognitive stress on participants while testing their resilience and leadership.
“Competitions like this reinforce that contracting Soldiers are Soldiers first,” Command Sgt. Maj. Kendall Haynie, the 418th CSB command sergeant major. “Our NCOs must be technically proficient in contracting operations while maintaining the tactical competence and physical readiness expected of Army leaders. Strong NCOs are the foundation of strong teams, and Staff Sgt. Eash and Staff Sgt. Faust embody the discipline and teamwork that define the 418th.”
Haynie added that competitors demonstrated exceptional resilience and pride in their formations throughout rigors of the competition, demonstrating their readiness, adaptability and professionalism.
At Fort Bragg, the 419th Contracting Support Brigade conducted a four-day competition Feb. 23-27, 2026, culminating in Sgt. 1st Class Eric Garcia of the 900th Contracting Support Battalion earning top honors. Staff Sgt. John Ayres of the 922nd Contracting Support Battalion was named runner-up. Competitors were tested on tactical proficiency, contracting knowledge and leadership under pressure through events including an Army Fitness Test, combat water survival test, land navigation, weapons qualification, tactical foot march, contracting officer review board and a formal military board.
“Patience, persistence, and a sense of purpose cultivates confident, capable noncommissioned officers prepared to lead Soldiers into combat,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Desmond Culler Jr., the 419th command sergeant major.
“When we invest in developing strong NCOs, we strengthen our teams and ensure our formations are ready to support the warfighter.”
Culler also thanked key staff and planners for assisting with the competition and the award ceremony by name to include Sergeant 1st Class Claudia Desantiago the NCO in charge of the event. He says that the extra effort, strategic planning, and risk management the entire team demonstrated was invaluable to the overall success of the competition and the safety of the competitors.
Command Sgt. Maj. JennyAnne Bright, the MICC command sergeant major and senior enlisted advisor to Brig. Gen. Freddy Adams, the MICC commander, said the deliberate investment of time and resources across the MICC formations reflects the command’s commitment to excellence.
“These competitions require an extraordinary amount of planning, manpower and leader involvement, but it is worth it to ensure our NCOs are tried and tested before stepping onto a larger stage,” Bright said. “The strength of the MICC is built at the brigade level. Strong NCOs do not stand alone — they build cohesive teams, enforce standards and create trust across formations.”
Bright added that the MICC will continue to standardize and refine its Best Warrior selection process across the enterprise and expressed appreciation for those who made the events possible.
“I am incredibly thankful for the professionalism, discipline and mission accomplishment demonstrated not only by the NCOs who competed, but also by the command teams and staff who made these competitions possible,” she said. “When strong teams come together, they deliver ready, combat-credible contracting formations for our Army.”
The MICC enters this year’s competition as the defending champion after Sgt. 1st Class Devin Fuller, a contracting NCO with the 919th Contracting Battalion in the 418th Contracting Support Brigade, earned the FY 2025 Army Contracting Command Best Warrior title last year.
With that distinction comes added pride and pressure Bright said, as this year’s brigade winners and alternates seek to retain the title while representing both their brigades and the MICC at the ACC competition March 23-27 at Fort McClellan, Ala.
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. A subordinate command of the Army Contracting Command and the Army Materiel Command, MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, facilitate 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.
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