FORT BENNING, Ga. – The Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning hosted its inaugural Unit Ministry Team Competition April 16-17, 2026, challenging two-Soldier unit ministry teams — consisting of a chaplain and a religious affairs specialist — to demonstrate their tactical and spiritual capabilities in a high-stress, simulated combat environment.
The two-day event tested the UMTs on physical stamina, weapon and vehicle proficiencies, and their ability to provide religious support while navigating tactical scenarios. This dual focus ensures UMTs can seamlessly integrate into combat operations, fostering the spiritual and moral resilience necessary to maintain a lethal, combat-ready force.
“Providing events like this at the garrison level ensures [UMTs] are better prepared to integrate quickly, assume their duties and operate effectively without gaps in knowledge or readiness,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jacoby J. McCray, the senior religious affairs noncommissioned officer for the Maneuver Center of Excellence. “As UMTs, we prepare for challenging moments, when the conditions are at their toughest. This event demonstrates our ability to execute in those moments - reinforcing both our readiness and our cohesion as a team.”
Day one of the competition began in the pre-dawn hours as nine teams from across six MCoE-assigned brigades reported for the Army Fitness Test. The early start set a rapid pace for the event, with teams transitioning from the fitness assessment into a situational training exercise, or STX, as the sun rose over the training area.
The STX pushed the UMTs to their limits through a series tactical and technical tasks, including land navigation, vehicle maintenance and tactical combat casualty care. As teams moved together under simulated enemy fire, both chaplains and religious affairs specialists provided spiritual support to casualties. During a weapons lane, specialists demonstrated proficiency with their assigned weapons while chaplains focused on the assembly of protective gear. As noncombatants, chaplains do not carry weapons in combat or training, relying on their specialist to maintain weapon proficiency to provide security in a combat environment. Teams also conducted memorial ceremonies and delivered scenario briefings to commanders, simulating the pastoral and administrative requirements of a deployed unit.
The intense first day concluded with a formal board appearance testing teams’ knowledge of Army doctrine and Chaplain Corps history. The competition culminated on the second day with a grueling 12-mile foot march. After the final scores were tallied, Chaplain (Capt.) Luke T. Allen and Staff Sgt. Wilbur G. Bryant, representing the 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment, 197th Infantry Brigade, emerged victoriously to earn the title of Best UMT.
“This competition displayed how vital it is to have both a chaplain and religious affairs specialist,” Allen said. “Staff Sgt. Bryant and I both had unique skills that we were able to put on display over the two days. We were able to lift and encourage one another, bring our different experiences and perspectives together to solve problems, and leverage our different areas of influence.”
The synergy Allen described is a cornerstone of Army religious support and reflects a legacy of teamwork that dates back centuries. Since its establishment in 1775, the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps has been charged with caring for Soldiers and ensuring their spiritual readiness so they can win in combat and in life. Chaplains fulfill this mission through three core competencies: nurturing the living, caring for the wounded and honoring the fallen.
Complementing this mission are religious affairs specialists. Officially established in 1909, they provide critical support to chaplains in both combat and garrison environments. As demonstrated throughout the competition, their tasks include ensuring chaplain security during missions and offering a vital enlisted perspective to religious support operations.
For the winning team, relying on that historic partnership was the key to their success during the two-day trial.
“I believe our partnership is critical because it ensures we can meet the full spectrum of Soldier needs (spiritual, emotional, and moral),” Bryant said. “As a UMT, we operate as a unified front, combining leadership, counseling and presence to build trust within the formation. In a deployed or garrison environment, that trust becomes the foundation.”
Despite taking home the top honors, Allen emphasized the competition ultimately reflects a much larger, ongoing mission: safeguarding the spiritual and moral readiness of the fighting force.
“Earning the title 'Best UMT' was not the ultimate goal,” Allen said. “At the end of the day, the impact we make in others' lives is the most important thing.”
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