Registration open for the 2016 ‘All Army’ Small Arms Championship

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Raymond Piper | Soldiers are coached by U.S. Army Marksmanship instructors during the 2015 U.S. Army Small Arms Championship. The 2016 event is scheduled for March 13-19.  

FORT BENNING, GA, UNITED STATES

01.20.2016

Story by Brenda Rolin 

U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit

FORT BENNING, Ga. —The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU), in conjunction with the Maneuver Center of Excellence, will host the 2016 U.S. Army Small Arms Championship (All Army) March 13-19.

This match will take place on the USAMU range complex at Fort Benning, Georgia.

The All-Army competition is free and open to all Soldiers including U.S. Military Academy and Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets.

The competition is conducted to develop combat firing skills at the entry and intermediate levels and recognizes superior skill at the highest level. During the event, Soldiers will compete in separate classes--consisting of cadet, novice, open and professional--based on previous competition experience.

"Soldiers will have the opportunity to demonstrate their marksmanship capabilities and represent their command during this premier marksmanship contest," said USAMU Commander Lt. Col. Bret Tecklenburg. "Results of this event include Soldiers sharpening their marksmanship skills through the excellent quality of expert instruction that we provide and the day-to-day interactions with the best marksmen the Army has to offer."

Teams will be comprised of four firing members and one alternate firing member/coach. Since competitions involve events that require running and other physical activities, participants must be physically fit.

To allow all major Army commands (MACOMs) the opportunity to field teams for this competition, specific allocations for them are reserved until Feb. 17. Beginning Feb. 18, all remaining slots that have not been filled will be given to individual Soldiers on a first-come, first-served basis. The reserved MACOM allocations are as follows:

1st Armored Division -- 2 Teams
1st Cavalry Division -- 2 Teams
1st Infantry Division -- 2 Teams
2nd Infantry Division -- 2 Teams
3rd Infantry Division -- 2 Teams
4th Infantry Division -- 2 Teams
10th Mountain Division -- 2 Teams
25th Infantry Division -- 2 Teams
82nd Airborne Division -- 2 Teams
101st Airborne Division -- 2 Teams
U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command -- 6 Teams (Highly encourage drill sergeant attendance)
U.S. Army Europe -- 2 Teams
U.S. Army Cadet Command -- 4 Teams
U.S. Army Military Academy -- 1 Team
75th Ranger Regiment -- 2 Team
Joint Special Operations Command -- 4 Teams
U.S. Army Reserve -- 6 Teams
U.S. Army National Guard -- 7 Teams

Fort Benning's Directorate of Family Morale Welfare and Recreation will host the final awards ceremony where trophies and industry prizes will be awarded to top-placing competitors.

Tecklenburg said participants of this event will walk away as better-trained marksmen with an increased understanding of the finer points of marksmanship skills.

"They will easily be able to make the correlation of how marksmanship competition translates to Soldier capability on the battlefield, creating a more lethal warfighter," he said.

Kyle Ward, USAMU chief of competitions, said this is a one-of-a-kind event that allows Soldiers to measure skills against some of the military's best marksmen in the Army.

"Competitors will encounter challenging courses of fire requiring rifle engagements, not readily available in the conventional force, from 100-500 yards, pistol engagements from 10-50 yards and a combined arms stage that will measure not only accuracy with both the rifle and pistol, but will assess their ability to problem-solve and make timely target engagements in scenario-based situations," he said.

Ward said Soldiers will have plenty of firing time and training from top USAMU marksmen and instructors.

"This is an excellent opportunity that affords Soldiers a chance to learn from and interact with top marksmen from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit and other units," Ward said. "Rifle and pistol marksmanship clinics will be conducted as part of the championship.

"Soldiers will be able to collect data at known distances on their assigned weapons and be able to fully explore both the weapons and their personal marksmanship capabilities. They will fire hundreds of rounds in both practice and competition in a wide range of scenarios and positions."

Additionally, Soldiers can earn Excellence in Competition (EIC) marksmanship badges and credit points toward their Distinguished Rifle and Pistol designation in an EIC Match during the event. The prestigious EIC badge takes precedence over standard qualification badges.

Ward said participants will have a chance to represent and showcase their command's marksmanship prowess against the Army's other major commands because, in addition to individual awards, battalion-level and higher teams can compete for team awards and unit recognition.

USAMU will provide ammunition to all competitors, and they will also provide equipment if needed. However, event organizers recommend participants bring their unit-assigned weapons and optics.

Registration ends Feb. 17 for allocated MACOM teams and Feb. 26 for all other competitors. Late entries will not be accepted. Registration is capped at 260 entries, so early registration is encouraged. Once registration exceeds that number, Soldiers will be placed on a stand-by list for the competition.

All individual competitors and teams must pre-register by fax, email or regular mail. With the exception of the EIC matches, walk in/on individual or team entries will not be accepted.

All competitors must submit registration forms by the deadlines listed above. For teams, coaches or team captains should forward registration forms for each team member, listing all competitors and team support members. Please fax to Clarence Fedrick at [phone] or send via email to [e-mail] or [e-mail]. Registration can also be sent via U.S. mail to: Commander, U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, ATTN: Competitions/S3, 7031 Bills Street, Fort Benning, GA 31905-3103.

For additional information and to register, visit www.usamu.com.

• Date Taken: 01.20.2016
• Date Posted: 01.20.2016 10:12
• Story ID: 186620
• Location: FORT BENNING, GA, US