A Belgium sniper squad walked away with top honors in 2017's European Best Sniper Squad competition, Sept. 24.



(Credit : Belgian Army)

The U.S. Army Europe competition, organized by the 7th Army Training Command, was the second European Best Sniper Squad competition to take place in the Grafenwoehr Training Area. Sixteen squads from across Europe competed alongside two U.S. military teams in a series of events, Sept. 24 to 28.

The mentally and physically challenging five-day competition brought multinational snipers together to build and strengthen camaraderie through a healthy level of national rivalry.

Talking outside the events to other teams about techniques and equipment is something the Swedish can take back home, said a Swedish sniper.

The sniper squad from Sweden took second place, while the squad from Czech Republic took home third place.

Other participating squads were from: Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The participating U.S. squads were: 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vicenza, Italy; and 2nd Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.

The competition kicked off with a friendship shoot that allowed the multinational Soldiers to exchange differences in their sniper rifles as well as share different tactics and techniques.

Other competing events included a high-angle shoot from a hovering helicopter, a water shoot from a boat, advanced marksmanship and night-time shooting. The physical events included stalking, a 20-kilometer foot march, land navigation and an obstacle course.

The combined efforts of our Allies and partners is exemplified through multinational competitions like the European Best Sniper Squad Competition.