Best Warrior

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BALTIMORE – Fourteen competitors from throughout the Army National Guard are slated to battle it out in a physically and mentally challenging five-day competition to determine the Army Guard’s Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the year July 14-18 in locations throughout Maryland.

Hosted by the Maryland Army National Guard the 2025 Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition tests competitors on a variety of tactical and technical tasks including weapons proficiency, land navigation, emergency medical tasks, and combat casualty care. These tasks are completed over a grueling set of courses throughout the state that includes multiple timed ruck marches and the Army Combat Fitness Test.

Winners in the competition – one Soldier and one NCO – are named the Army Guard’s Soldier and NCO of the Year and will compete in the Department of the Army Best Squad Competition this fall. Runners-up in the Best Warrior Competition fill out the Army Guard squad competing in the Best Squad Competition based on their finish in Best Warrior.

Competitors in this year’s Army Guard Best Warrior Competition include:

Soldier Category
Spc. Adam Andrews - Rhode Island
Spc. Robert Ruiz-Rhoades – Pennsylvania
Spc. Jaden Hughes - Alabama
Spc. Logan Rutledge – Indiana
Spc. Alexander Thomson – Nebraska
Spc. Canyon Blassingame - Montana
Sgt. Michael Fouts – Arizona

NCO Category
Sgt. Kristopher Piwowarczyk - New Jersey
Staff Sgt. Miles Crawford – Maryland
Staff Sgt. Nicolas White – Georgia
Staff Sgt. Brandon Byrne - Wisconsin
Sgt. Luke Entz – Nebraska
Sgt. Matthew Lee – Montana
Sgt. Luke Cloward - Utah

Video Gallery

Video by Tech. Sgt. Phillip Cowen

155th Air Refueling Wing conducts Combat Readiness Exercise

155th Air Refueling Wing, Nebraska Air National Guard

June 7, 2025 | 3:40

Airmen from the 155th Air Refueling Wing participate in a Combat Readiness Exercise, June 6-8, 2025, at the Nebraska National Guard air base in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Combat Readiness Exercise evaluated the wing's ability to rapidly mobilize, deploy and sustain operations in a simulated contingency environment. Airmen practiced processing people and equipment to support a deployment, and then honed their skills operating in a simulated degraded environment. Personnel responded to simulated attacks, donned mission oriented protective posture gear , and launched aircraft in the rain in support of the overall mission. (U.S. Air National Guard video by Tech. Sgt. Phil Cowen)