U.S. Army Spc. John Brown, an infantryman, fires an M240B machine gun as Pvt. 2nd Class Ismael Delacruz, an infantryman, spots targets, both assigned to 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, during the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Best Squad Competition at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, July 30, 2026. The range event emphasizes coordination between teammates, requiring Soldiers to communicate clearly and rapidly identify targets while employing a crew-served weapon.
Teams from across U.S. Army Europe and Africa will meet at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, to compete for the title of Best Squad, July 30-Aug. 6, 2026. The event tests the squad’s effectiveness, communication, and overall cohesion, as well as the individual Soldiers’ technical and tactical proficiency, endurance, and fortitude. This competitive training event exercises a full range of Squad-Level Skills; highlighting professional excellence and knowledge to determine the command’s top teams. Winners of this competition will advance to represent U.S. Army Europe and Africa at the Army Best Squad Competition. One noncommissioned officer and one junior Soldier will be selected out of the final winning squad to be named the Army’s Best NCO and Best Soldier of the Year, respectively. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Griffin Payne)
| Date Taken: | 07.30.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.30.2026 11:32 |
| Photo ID: | 9840134 |
| VIRIN: | 260730-A-WQ640-1021 |
| Resolution: | 5603x3368 |
| Size: | 5.33 MB |
| Location: | GRAFENWOEHR, BAYERN, DE |
| Web Views: | 7 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, U.S. Army Europe and Africa Best Squad Competitors Conduct M240B Live-Fire [Image 8 of 8], by SGT Griffin Payne, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.