U.S. Soldiers with U.S. Army Europe and Africa conduct night land navigation during the 2026 Best Squad Competition at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, July 30, 2026. Teams from across U.S. Army Europe and Africa will meet at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, to compete for the title of Best Squad July 30 – Aug. 6, 2026. The event tests the squad’s effectiveness, communication, and overall cohesion, as well as the individual Soldiers’ technical and tactical proficiency, endurance, and fortitude. This competitive training event exercises a full range of Squad-Level: highlighting professional excellence and knowledge to determine the command’s top teams. Winners of this competition will advance to represent U.S. Army...
U.S. Army Sgt. Ryan Minton, assigned to Regimental Support Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, displays a custom drone detection device which he designed and built for Soldiers to carry in the field environment, during an open house at the 7th Army Training Command's Design Innovation Research and Testing Lab, Grafenwoehr, Germany, 31 July 2026. The DIRT Lab serves as a collaborative hub connecting Soldiers, engineers, and researchers to turn field-identified challenges into tangible solutions. Leveraging technologies like 3D printing, advanced manufacturing, robotics, and drones, empowering Soldiers to rapidly prototype and test capabilities designed by those closest to the challenges. (U.S. Army photo by Kevin Sterling Payne)
