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 Sgt. Robert Wormley

Air Defenders Conduct Live Fire Exercise with Brigade Combat Team (Reel)

10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command

Dec. 13, 2022 | 0:49

Air Defenders Conduct Live Fire Exercise with Brigade Combat Team

"This was the first step of many to come, of short range air defense units supporting the maneuver commander.”

Our Air Defenders successfully integrated with Strike Soldiers and shot down two of two practice drones with the legacy Avenger Air Defense System.

Commander of 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Col. Bruce Bredlow, observed Air Defenders from 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery during a combined arms live fire exercise with Strike Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team "STRIKE", 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Grafenwoehr, Germany, December 13, 2022.

“As successful as today was… I think the future is even brighter once the new Maneuver Short Range Air Defense vehicles are up and maneuvering with that force”

The 52nd ADA BDE Activated on October 6, 2022, to serve as the brigade headquarters under 10th AAMDC. Prior to the implementation of 52nd the role of brigade headquarters is filled by rotational national guard units. Adding the active-duty brigade headquarters along with the new 1-57 short range air defense regiment to theater adds significant capacity to the U.S. contribution to the Alliance’s ground-based air defense in EUCOM.