Teams from across the world joined military teams from the U.S. in late April for the annual Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Teams from Chile and Canada to Poland and Germany joined cadets from West Point, as well as other U.S. service academies and ROTC programs. Their goal was to test the militaryā€™s future leaders in rigorous exercises, and also foster collaboration between allies across the globe.


What You Need To Know

  • The United States Military Academy at West Point hosted the 53rd annual Sandhurst Military Skills Competition in late April

  • For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, international teams returned to compete

  • The U.S. Air Force Academy won the 48-team competition

ā€œThe whole United States Army is represented here with our partners,ā€ said West Pointā€™s Director of Military Instruction, Col. Al Boyer. ā€œItā€™s a great opportunity to train together, to build relationships, to compete, and build that physical and mental toughness that weā€™ll need should we have to deploy together in combat.ā€

Twelve stations, each with a different test, dotted the geography of West Point over two days. They included the Humvee push, retrieving a simulated casualty and moving by water to a landing zone.

Through it all, their fellow cadets were there to cheer them on. At competitionā€™s end, the Air Force Academy took the team victory, with Army teams taking second and third places.

ā€œItā€™s awesome; I couldnā€™t do what theyā€™re doing," said Aiden Boehm, a cadet from Coxsackie. "Theyā€™re doing a lot of great stuff. A day two competition can be very grueling, so all the credit to them and all the teams out here.ā€