Soldiers recognized in Army National Guard 2026 Best Warrior Competition 

U.S. Army Spc. Brandon Brown of the Florida Army National Guard and U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Fouts of the Arizona Army National Guard were named the 2026 Army National Guard Soldier of the Year and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, respectively, after winning this month’s Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition.

The event was held July 11-14 at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center in Florida.

Brown and Fouts earned the honors after four days of competition against 12 other top soldiers and noncommissioned officers representing 14 states. The competitors completed more than 25 events testing marksmanship, land navigation, tactical decision making and physical endurance while competing in Florida’s grueling heat.

The two will represent the Army National Guard at the Department of the Army Best Squad Competition, scheduled for Sept. 11-19 at Fort Benning, Georgia.

They will be joined by Sgt. 1st Class Erich Friedlein of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Spc. Caleb Chambers of the Indiana Army National Guard and Spc. Caden Leonard of the Utah Army National Guard, who finished among the top competitors.

The five-soldier team will compete against 10 active-duty squads and one U.S. Army Reserve squad while also fighting for Department of the Army Soldier of the Year and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year honors.

“This is literally the best 14 soldiers in the Army National Guard right now,” U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Lonny Posey, the competition’s lead organizer, said in a release. “They were out here giving their all, and we’re happy to be able to work for them.”

Brown said advancing to the Army-level competition is a chance to demonstrate the service’s ultimate mission.

“I want to be an example and a reminder of the true purpose of the warfighting profession — to fight and win the nation’s wars,” Brown said.

Fouts said he welcomed the test and hoped to lead by example.

“I’m always up for a challenge,” he said in the release. “I want to set an example for the soldiers under me.”

During the closing ceremony, organizers also announced that all 14 competitors had earned the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge and the Schützenschnur — a marksmanship badge — after German military officials evaluated certain events throughout the competition without informing participants beforehand.