VICENZA, Italy — The 173rd Airborne Brigade continued to sharpen the edge of its future leadership with a squad leader academy, a weeklong course designed to prepare emerging noncommissioned officers to lead Soldiers in complex, uncertain environments, Jan. 23-30, 2026.
The academy blended rigorous troop leading procedures, maintenance standards and small-unit tactics with a deliberate focus on character, competence and the hard-earned lessons of the brigade’s storied past.
The course, led by 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, “The Rock,” brought together up‑and‑coming squad leaders for intensive instruction on planning and executing squad‑level operations. Training included daily physical readiness sessions from the U.S. Army Holistic Health and Fitness program. Instructors from across the battalion reinforced standards and evaluated students throughout the week, ensuring each leader met the expectations required of a "Sky Soldier" noncommissioned officer.
“This academy is about readiness,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Samuel Benfer, platoon sergeant assigned to 2nd Platoon, Battle Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment. “We’re preparing squad leaders to deploy into uncertainty, outthink and outfight our adversaries, and bring their Soldiers home with honor. That starts with mastering the basics and understanding the responsibility that comes with leading paratroopers.”
While tactical training forms the backbone of the course, one of the most impactful events came during the “Restrepo Panel,” a leadership discussion centered on the documentary “Restrepo” by Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington. The Oscar-nominated film chronicles the 2-503rd’s Battle Company during its deployment to Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley from 2007-2008, where U.S. Army Sgt. Juan Restrepo and several Sky Soldiers died in combat.
Following the screening, students participated in a live video teleconference with Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle Steiner of 7th Special Forces Group and retired Sgt. Maj. LaMonta Caldwell. Both leaders served with the 173rd during the deployment depicted in the film and were present during the events surrounding Restrepo’s death. Their candid reflections offered the new squad leaders a direct connection to the brigade’s lineage and a deeper understanding of the weight of leadership in combat.
Steiner and Caldwell pointed to the 173rd’s role as a contingency response force, enhanced by their strategic location in Italy, a stone’s throw away from multiple conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Injecting lessons from those conflicts, as well as the everchanging geopolitical climate, makes for realistic training for the brigade.
Students arrived prepared with questions about leading under fire, building trust within a squad, and taking care of Soldiers during the most difficult moments of a deployment. The discussion highlighted the brigade’s belief that readiness is not only technical and tactical, but also moral and emotional.
“Watching ‘Restrepo’ was required upon arriving at the unit,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Damien Jette, a squad leader and academy participant. “I also served together with Sgt. Maj. Caldwell’s son when he was part of Battle Company, so to connect the family lineage through this squad leader academy has been an amazing opportunity.”
By combining demanding training with the lessons of past Sky Soldiers, the 173rd is shaping leaders who are prepared for the missions ahead, while staying grounded in the history that defines the brigade.
“The lineage really stood out to me [as well as] the work that those squad leaders put into their Soldiers,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Austin Locke, a squad leader participating in the academy. “Back then they built an outpost on a mountain. It relates directly to us building trenches in Slovenia for live-fire training. You can see how leadership continues to build from one generation to the next.”
As the 173rd Airborne Brigade remains forward deployed as the Army’s contingency response force in Europe, the squad leader academy plays a critical role in ensuring the formation stays ready, empowered and disciplined.