JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
Two Army ROTC units representing the 5th Brigade Army ROTC, headquartered at Joint San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, participated in the annual Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point April 27-29.
The Sandhurst Military Skills Competition is an international competition comprised of rigorous physical and mental activities designed to present unexpected challenges and mimic the tasks of combat operations. The event has been hosted by the U.S. Military Academy since 1967 and has undergone multiple changes since then.
This year’s competition, which included the Brigham Young University Army ROTC and the University of Arkansas Army ROTC teams, was a two-day competition featuring teams from West Point, Army ROTC units across the U.S., all service academies, and 16 international teams from across the globe.
The events included Tactical Combat Casualty Care, Grenade Assault Course, Zodiac, Gas Mask Function, One Rope Bridge, Comms, Weapons Assembly, and Functional Fitness. Each event is rated through a specific set of qualifications that judge the skills and timeliness of the participants.
Forty-eight teams comprised of U.S. service academies, 16 international teams and 17 ROTC teams participated in the competition this year.
The first-place winner was the USMA–Black Team. The winner of the ROTC cup was Texas A&M University and the International Trophy winner was the United Kingdom Red Team. Brigham Young University Army ROTC and University of Arkansas Army ROTC held their own in this year’s competition.
The 5th Brigade Army ROTC is one of eight U.S. Army Cadet Command brigades located across the nation. The 5th Brigade hosts 36 ROTC battalions throughout Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. Army ROTC provides cadets with the character-building aspects of a diverse, self-disciplined civilian education with tough, centralized leadership development training.