MEDIA ADVISORY: Fort Benning to postpone Infantry Week competitions and Armor's Sullivan Cup

FORT BENNING , GA, UNITED STATES

03.19.2020

Story by Ben Garrett 

Fort Moore Public Affairs Office

CONTACT: Benjamin Garrett at 706-545-9229; [e-mail]
Nate Snook at 706-545-2238; [e-mail]
Sue Ulibarri, 706-905-2254, [e-mail]

MEDIA ADVISORY: Fort Benning to postpone Infantry Week competitions and
Armor's Sullivan Cup

DATE: March 19, 2020

FORT BENNING, Ga. - Out of an abundance of caution, and to protect the
operational readiness of the force, the Maneuver Center of Excellence has
postponed this spring's Army competitions. These include the Infantry Week
competitions - International Sniper Competition, Lacerda Cup All-Army
Combatives Championship, Best Mortar Competition, and Best Ranger
Competition, scheduled in April - and, Armor's Sullivan Cup, scheduled in
May.

Since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 a pandemic March
11, the Department of Defense stopped all domestic travel for service
members, DOD civilians, and families, including permanent changes of station
and temporary duty from March 16 through May 11. This ban is in addition to
the department's travel restrictions effective March 13. The competitions
were scheduled for mid-April and the first week of May.

The Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning fully support the Army's
efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19 virus while providing trained and
combat-ready Soldiers to defend our national security. Fort Benning
continues to have no confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Fort Benning leaders analyze measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19
while protecting the health and safety of the Soldiers, Families and
Civilians at Fort Benning and our neighboring community.

We are taking proactive steps to remind our personnel to adhere to the
guidance outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and the Defense Health
Agency to help mitigate the spreading of COVID-19. In addition to canceling
all graduations and family days until further notice, we implemented prudent
social distancing techniques, such as prohibiting families from visiting any
Soldier in training and expanding use of telework and leave flexibilities.
Distance between personnel during essential meetings follows CDC guidance.

We're using CDC-approved screening criteria for all personnel arriving here
for training. This includes taking temperatures when recruits arrive at the
reception battalion, asking about foreign travel and potential exposure to
infected persons, and includes a medical screening for COVID-19-like
symptoms.

We've established an area for personnel who require mandatory 14-day
observation. Soldiers arriving for training from higher-risk areas could be
placed under a 14-day restriction of movement to monitor their health and
ensure they are clear of respiratory symptoms.

We are working with interagency partners - including the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense Military Health System and
the U.S. Army Public Health Center - to provide information and support to
protect our military force and the American people.

The decision to postpone the competitions is in the best interest of our
community. We are adhering to Department of Defense guidance to prevent the
spread of COVID-19. The competitions will be rescheduled for a later date.

The COVID-19 threat is real. It is imperative that we protect the thousands
of Soldiers who train at and will depart Fort Benning to join units around
the globe. As such, we must minimize the vectors that could cause spread of
the virus, including the large gatherings these competitions inspire.

This is not the first time the Best Ranger Competition has been canceled. In
1991 and 2003, it was canceled because of Operation Desert Storm and
Operation Iraqi Freedom, respectively.


###
Visit Maneuver Center of Excellence online: www.benning.army.mil
Facebook @FortBenningMCoE
Twitter @FortBenning
Instagram fort_benning_mcoe

• Date Taken: 03.19.2020
• Date Posted: 03.19.2020 16:51
• Story ID: 365539
• Location: FORT BENNING , GA, US