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SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii — Soldiers from across the Indo-Pacific gathered on Oahu for the inaugural Pacific Land Forces Team Readiness Challenge, a multinational competition designed to strengthen readiness, endurance, interoperability, and partnership among allied and partner land forces through realistic, physically demanding training.
Hosted by United States Army Pacific at Schofield Barracks, the weeklong event began with reception, staging, onward movement, and integration from April 27–30 before teams officially entered competition May 1–6 across Schofield Barracks, Lightning Academy, East Range, and surrounding jungle training areas.
Nine six-Soldier teams representing the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, Mongolia, the Philippines, and the United States competed in a series of tactical and endurance-based events designed to test readiness, teamwork, lethality, and leadership under pressure.
“This competition marks the next step in our cooperation and partnership amongst land forces in the region,” said Ronald Clark, commanding general of USARPAC.
Throughout the week, competitors faced jungle and urban land navigation courses, obstacle courses, stress shoots, leader reaction challenges, tactical problem-solving scenarios, a jungle 10-kilometer run with obstacles, a climb up Kolekole Road, and an unknown-distance road march.
At each land navigation point, teams were required to complete additional physical and tactical tasks, forcing competitors to balance speed, communication, and combat effectiveness while operating under fatigue and in Hawaii’s tropical conditions.
One of the most demanding events came during the final day of competition when teams stepped off at 2 a.m. for a 14-mile unknown-distance road march through jungle terrain and training areas surrounding Schofield Barracks. Soldiers pushed through exhaustion, rugged terrain, and darkness while relying on teamwork to complete the course.
“Competitors faced physically and mentally demanding events designed to test readiness, teamwork, and interoperability,” Clark said.
While teams competed for points and placement, leaders emphasized the challenge was designed to build multinational cooperation and strengthen the relationships necessary to operate together during future crises or contingencies in the Indo-Pacific.
The leader reaction course reinforced that objective by requiring teams to solve complex obstacles and tactical problems while under time constraints and physical stress.
At the conclusion of the event, all participating teams received certificates of achievement recognizing their performance and commitment throughout the inaugural challenge. The top three teams received bronze, silver, and gold medals, while the overall winner was awarded the inaugural Pacific Land Forces Team Readiness Challenge trophy.
The United Kingdom earned first place overall, Mongolia secured second place, and the United States finished third.
“This competition is about more than navigating the jungle or hitting targets under stress,” said Jason Schmidt, senior enlisted leader for USARPAC. “It’s about forging human interoperability that makes our combined forces the most lethal elements in the world.”
Leaders said the Pacific Land Forces Team Readiness Challenge represented far more than a competition, establishing a new model for multinational land force cooperation in the region. By training side-by-side through shared hardship and realistic conditions, participating nations strengthened the trust, cohesion, and interoperability required to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.
USARPAC leaders said the Pacific Land Forces Team Readiness Challenge is intended to become an annual event, continuing to strengthen readiness, trust, and cooperation among allied and partner land forces throughout the region.
| Date Taken: | 05.13.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.13.2026 13:50 |
| Story ID: | 565177 |
| Location: | HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 20 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, International Readiness Put to the Test in Indo-Pacific Challenge, by SGM Andrew Porch and SSG Jared Simmons, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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