Fort Benning celebrates Infantry Week

The Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning will host the U.S. Army’s Infantry Week beginning today, Tuesday, April 7. The competitions are open to the public and showcase the best combat soldiers the Army has to offer during eight days of intense physical and mental challenges.

The competitions celebrate the U.S. Army Infantry heritage, help connect America with their Army, and enable soldiers to share knowledge on training best practices with fellow Army units, sister services, and partner nations.

Infantry Week includes the Sniper, Best Mortar, Lacerda Cup, and Best Jumpmaster competitions through April 10 and the Best Ranger Competition from April 10 – 13.

• The International Sniper Competition tests competitor teams’ ability to navigate a rigorous gauntlet of events, including long-range marksmanship, observation skills, stealth movement, and reconnaissance and reporting ability. The competition features realistic scenarios snipers might encounter on the battlefield to give spectators a behind-the-scenes glimpse of everything that contributes to a sniper team’s success.
• The Best Mortar Competition features teams from across U.S. forces and partner nations vying for the title of Best Mortar Squad. The competition highlights the technical proficiency and physical endurance of mortar crews, giving spectators an inside look at the critical role of indirect fire in combat operations. As the primary indirect fire asset within an Infantry unit, mortars provide high-angle lethality that can reach targets behind cover or obstacles.

• The Lacerda All-Army Combatives Championship will evaluate competitors’ knowledge and use of the U.S. Army Combatives Program as individuals and as part of eight-person teams. Spectators will watch as Soldiers from different weight classes perform multiple close quarters combatives techniques.
• The Best Jumpmaster Competition rigorously tests the mental and physical stamina, as well as the technical expertise of the competing teams through a series of events. These events include physical fitness assessments, written examinations on equipment nomenclature and airborne history, and hands-on tests of rigging specialized items and inspecting jumpers’ equipment.

• The Best Ranger Competition is a tribute to the rangers past and present who have helped shape our Army into the premiere fighting force it is today. Over the course of three days of continuous competition, ranger-qualified individuals working as two-person “buddy teams” will traverse over 60 miles on foot with equipment weighing nearly 80 pounds in a series of spectator-friendly events. The Maneuver Center of Excellence is home to the U.S. Army Ranger Course, considered the toughest small unit leadership course in the U.S. military.

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