Courtesy Photo | U.S. Army and Air Force reservists pose for a group photo during the U.S. Joint...... read more read more
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HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah — Preparing to compete on a global stage requires finding the absolute best. For the United States Air Force and Army, that task fell to Maj. Sterling Broadhead, deputy commander of the 419th Mission Support Group, who recently served as the director of the U.S. Joint Selection Camp for the upcoming Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers (CIOR) Military Competition.
Held at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, the selection camp identified 18 Army and Air Force reservists to represent the U.S. on the world stage. Established in 1957, the CIOR MILCOMP brings together over 250 reservists from NATO and partner nations to test fundamental military skills and build interoperability.
Competitors will face a grueling three-day trial featuring five events: host-nation weapons marksmanship, a 500-meter land obstacle course, a 50-meter tactical swim in host-nation fatigues, precision grenade throwing, and a 12-14 kilometer orienteering meet.
"NATO will say we are stronger together, and I think it's so important that we build these relationships through competition," Broadhead said.
Because European teams traditionally dominate the orienteering event, Broadhead made land navigation a major focus of this year's selection. Building the final three-person teams required a careful balancing of these individual skills, as well as a willingness to check military egos at the door.
"We very clearly tell them, you have to put rank aside, and you need to build this team cohesion because you're a joint team performing on the world stage," Broadhead explained. "A lot of times we'll have an E-6 Army member be the lead over a Lt. Col. in the Air Force."
For Broadhead, directing the camp is the culmination of a long-standing passion that began when he was selected as a team alternate as a 2nd Lt. Today, his dedication has elevated him to serve as the Team USA Delegate and a recently elected technical jury member for the international committee, ensuring U.S. reservists remain ready to compete alongside their global allies.
| Date Taken: | 07.21.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2026 15:43 |
| Story ID: | 570432 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 419th MSG Deputy Commander Leads US Selection for Elite NATO Military Competition, by Anthony Pham, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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