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 Staff Sgt. Krystal England

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BROLL: US, Kenya forces strengthen tactical readiness during Justified Accord 2026

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

March 2, 2026 | 1:24

U.S. Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Regiment, Massachusetts Army National Guard, and Kenya Defence Forces train on react-to-contact drills during Justified Accord 2026 at the KDF School of Infantry, Isiolo, Kenya, March 2, 2026. The training enhanced small-unit tactics and increased multinational interoperability in support of humanitarian assistance and crisis response.

JA26 prepares regional partners for United Nations and African Union missions, and builds readiness for the U.S. joint force. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), and hosted in Djibouti, Kenya, and Tanzania, this year’s exercise incorporates personnel from approximately 15 nations. Justified Accord 2026 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest exercise in East Africa. (U.S. Air Force video by Staff Sgt. Krystal England)