CUMMING READINESS CENTER, Ga. — The 2026 Georgia Army National Guard State Best Warrior Competition kicked off March 8 at the Cumming Readiness Center in Cumming, Georgia.
Seventeen competitors representing the Georgia Army National Guard, the Georgia Air National Guard, the Georgia State Defense Force, and the country of Georgia Defence Force are competing this year at Cumming Readiness Center, Cumming, Georgia, the Catoosa Volunteer Training Site, Ringgold, Georgia, and the Clarke Range Complex, Anniston, Alabama Mar. 8-13, 2026.
“We’re testing the whole soldier concept with a tremendous focus on the warrior attributes,” said U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Matt Eubank, co-noncommissioned officer in charge of the competition. “This is the best professional development event that we do for our noncommissioned officers and enlisted corps.”
The competition encourages interoperability and effectively displays both the lethality and readiness of its competitors. This marks the third year that the country of Georgia’s Defence Forces, the Georgia National Guard’s state partner, have participated in the competition.
The Georgia State Defense Force, which serves as a volunteer force within the Georgia Department of Defense, is competing for the second year in a row. Georgia State Defense Force Sgt. Major William Ford believes that this competition provides an opportunity to show solidarity across the Georgia DoD.
“Interaction through competition is how we best build rapport with each other,” said Ford. “The training received allows us to translate and incorporate into our standards and how we perform.”
This year’s event also marks the first time the Georgia Air National Guard has competed in the Army-focused event. U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Chandler Durden, a security forces specialist with the 165th Airlift Wing out of Savannah, Georgia, is excited for the opportunity to get out of his element and compete against others outside of his organization.
“I’m happy to learn all that I can,” said Durden. “It’s something I’ve never done before, but it’s something that I can take back to my unit, and show what I’ve learned.”
“Every time we continue to include partner forces and adjacent units, it makes us that much better because it increases the overall quality of the competition,” said Eubank.
Events in this year’s competition include the combat water survival training, the Army Fitness Test, appearance board, a written essay, CBRNE, warrior training tasks round robin, weapons qualifications, MEDEVAC, land navigation, obstacle course, cave extraction, urban assault, ruck march and professional development.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for them to showcase their talents,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Neal Andreson, co-noncommissioned officer in charge of the competition. “Not only as an individual, but as a member of a team to demonstrate their mastery of Skill Level 1 tasks.”
“This competition highlights the very best of our warfighters and showcases the professionalism, resilience, and lethality of our force,” said U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Meara Brown, senior enlisted leader of the 78th Aviation Troop Command, Georgia Army National Guard. “It’s also a great opportunity to strengthen partnerships and demonstrate the high standards our Soldiers, Airmen, and state partners uphold every day.”
The 2026 Georgia Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition identifies, recognizes, and commemorates its best Soldiers. Each Soldier’s individual and military skills will be assessed to determine who will represent Georgia in the 2026 Region III Best Warrior Competition hosted by the North Carolina National Guard later this year.