FORT BRAGG, N.C. (March 24, 2025) – The U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Special Operations Center of Excellence, concluded the 2025 U.S. Army Special Operations Command International Sniper Competition at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, March 16-20.

With 21 teams from across the U.S. special operations force and allied forces, the 75th Ranger Regiment proved triumphant, securing first place followed by the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) in second and the Netherlands in third.

The competition tested sniper teams on a variety of skills – from performance, precision shooting to fieldcraft – highlighting the importance of honing lethal capabilities in line with the Department of Defense’s continued focus on lethality, warfighting, and readiness.

“(Army special operations) Soldiers must optimize and maintain their performance across the tenure of their career,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Lionel Strong, Special Operations Center of Excellence command sergeant major. “All of our schools, whether it is the (Army special operations force) generation pipeline or advanced skills, are designed to test our students physical, mental, emotional, and cognitive capacity, so that they can perform at the top of their potential on their worst day.”

During the five-day competition, the teams completed a 23-stage event, including three-night shoots.

“Almost everything we do in (special operations) is high risk, time constrained, and politically sensitive,” Strong said. “(Army special operations) Soldiers need to be able to perform when their teammates and the nation need it most. For snipers, in the world of long-range precision marksmanship, inches and second’s matter. The ability to remain calm under repressure and maintain presence of mind are critical for snipers to make split-second decisions in high-risk environments.”

Sniper teams in this year’s competition encompassed U.S. Marine Forces Special Operations Command, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 19th, and 20th Special Forces groups, the 75th Ranger Regiment, U.S. Coast Guard, and allied forces from Switzerland, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Canada.

“Our partner nation (special operations) competitors enhance the competition,” Strong said. “Everything we do in (Army special operations) is with and through partners. Their attendance at the comp reinforces our culture and our emphasis on generational relationships. Our partners all bring their own unique skills, training, and knowledge to the comp.”

He added that “they are the best from their nation and across the special operations community. This comp allows us to collaborate, share best practices, and lessons learned to grow the capability.”

In its 16th year, the competition has since grown, transformed, and modernized from its conception in 2009.

Retired Master Sgt. Kevin Owens, who was a guest at the competition, recalls when he was an instructor at Special Operations Center of Excellence from 2008 to 2011, serving as a noncommissioned officer at the sniper school from 2010 to 2011.

“I was a sergeant first class at the time,” Owens said. “It was me and [another instructor]. We were modernizing the schoolhouse. The sniper comp came up and in 2009 was the first year we ran it. I ran both stress tests and had a lot of input into the building of it because I was a competitive shooter at the time. If you look back, we had a big committee of instructors, but only four of us shot sniper competitions and long-range shooting competitions.”

Owens added that because of the history, “more of the instructors are competitive shooters, which brings a whole new dynamic to it.”

“We took that experience, and we put it into building the competition,” he said. “One conversation we had was that it was a sniper competition, not a shooting competition, so it should have sniper tasks. The other conversation we had was that all the events should be geared around combat tasks. They should be realistic tasks that you would do in combat. We always tried to build it around combat experience. So, the first year, it was only open to USASOC teams because it was a test bed. The next year in 2010, it was open to all special operations units.”

Owens said that “every year, it gets better and that they build upon that because you can see where gaps are.”

Since 2009, each year has improved its competitive edge by implementing new tactics and techniques.

“The comp has evolved and modernized everything about long-range precision marksmanship from how we train, the weapons, ammunition, and optics we shoot, to the types of ranges and targets we shoot,” Strong said. “This competition has evolved not just sniper weapons systems but combat marksmanship and lethality for the Army.”

Strong added that “the competition brings in some of the best shooters and industry partners from across the world and tests their abilities to the point of failure, so we can grow the capability. Fifteen years ago, no one with a weapons system from the arms room stood a chance at winning the comp. Today, it’s a level-playing field, every shooter and sniper team have the best equipment and ammunition available. We can positively identify and engage targets out past a mile with precision. The competition, modernization and lethality of sniper weapons systems grew parallel to each other over the past decade.”

The competition not only served as a platform to showcase grit and skill, but to strengthen camaraderie across the force and foster interoperability.

“This is great comp and thank you for coming out to represent your unit, your service, and your nation,” Strong said. “Every shooter here is phenomenal! The margins between the first and last competitor are tight. No matter what, all the competitors out here deserve recognition for their effort and throwing themselves in the arena.”

Story by Elvia Kelly

United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School