America’s military readiness depends on more than weapons systems and strategy — it depends on the men and women who train relentlessly, compete fiercely, and push themselves to the edge so they’re ready when it counts. This year, one elite unit proved once again that it stands above the rest.
A five-soldier team from the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment was named the Army’s Best Squad at a ceremony held during the Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition on Monday. The recognition came after nine grueling days of competition that tested physical endurance, technical skill, and battlefield readiness at every turn.
Along with the Best Squad title, the Rangers also claimed the Army’s top individual honors. Cpl. Michael Shield was named Soldier of the Year, and Staff Sgt. Colin Doyle earned the title of Noncommissioned Officer of the Year — making it a clean sweep for the regiment. It’s the third time in four years the 75th Ranger Regiment has dominated the Best Squad competition by sweeping all three awards.
Doyle credited the regiment’s culture of disciplined, day-to-day preparation for the victory. According to an Army release, he stated:
“The 75th Ranger Regiment is a one-of-a-kind unit. We simply show up to work every day focused on marksmanship, small unit tactics, medical training and mobility.”
Nine Days of Trials at Fort Benning
From September 11 to 19, eleven squads descended on Fort Benning, Georgia, to compete for the Army’s highest squad-level honors. The competition covered a demanding range of events designed to mirror real-world battlefield requirements.
Competitors faced fitness assessments, weapons qualifications, and medical scenarios. They also completed an 18.6-mile nighttime foot march with an obstacle course, loaded and fired rounds from an M1A2 Abrams tank, and completed the combat water survival course. One new addition this year was the “First 100 Yards” evolution — a replacement for the traditional “shark attack” opening drill used with new recruits. Soldiers also sat before review boards for formal interviews.
Shield, reflecting on the competition’s broader meaning, put it plainly:
“The Army Best Squad Competition is important because it shows where the readiness of the different commands is at across the entire Army. And on top of that, competition is a huge part of the Army. And who doesn’t want to be first?”
Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael R. Weimer presented awards to Shield, Doyle, and the three soldiers who rounded out the winning squad: Sgt. William Masters, Spc. William Schaeffer, and Spc. Marshall Garren. The team had previously earned the top spot within the U.S. Army Special Operations Command before advancing to the broader Army-wide competition in August.
A Competition Returning After a Two-Year Gap
This year’s event marked the return of the competition after a two-year hiatus. The 2025 competition was canceled due to what officials described as a “lapse in appropriations” — a direct consequence of Congress failing to pass a fiscal year 2026 budget on time. The cancellation underscored how funding disruptions at the federal level can ripple into military training programs and readiness assessments that matter to service members on the ground.
The Rangers’ 2026 sweep builds on a strong recent record. The regiment won the Best Squad title in 2022 and swept all three awards in 2023. In 2024, a team from the U.S. Army Pacific claimed the Best Squad title — the only interruption to Ranger dominance in recent years.
For more on Army readiness and military news, visit Army Times. Other recent coverage includes updates on Army policies on teen medical records, the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment for retirees and veterans, and guidance on absentee voting for service members. Additional stories cover housing renovations at Fort Bragg and a planned DEERS outage affecting Tricare beneficiaries.
