Chilean Marines win in the corporals’ category of the Best Warrior competition in the US

By Nicolas Garcia

Corporal Juan Barría of the Chilean Navy’s Marine Corps (CIM) won first place in the Corporal category in the international Best Warrior 2023 competition organized by the Texas Military Department.

The event occurred during the last days of March at Camp Swift, Bastrop County.

It brought together 26 representatives from the National Guard, Air National Guard, and Texas State Guard, as well as competitors from the Army of the Czech Republic and the Army and Marine Corps of the Chilean Navy.

In addition to simulating combat, this event tests all the physical and mental skills of those selected who must overcome obstacle courses and perform long tactical marches, oral exams, weapons firing, land orientation, and other physical endurance tests against the weather.

The Chilean Army and Chilean Marines have participated in Best Warrior since 2016.

This exchange is made possible by the State Partnership Program (SPP) signed by Chile and Texas in 2009.

The cooperation agreement allows the military units to exchange knowledge and experience and develop joint training.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMPETITION

According to the Texas Military Department’s Facebook social network, the competitors began the Best Warrior 2023 challenge on Monday, March 27, by delivering the equipment they used in Best Warrior 2023.

On Tuesday, March 28, Major Michelle Thompson, senior enlisted advisor for the Texas Army National Guard, welcomed the participants and conducted a personal presentation test before a panel of judges.

On Wednesday, March 29, representatives from the Czech Republic, Chile, and Texas were up at midnight to prepare for the competition’s land navigation test.

They performed the US Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) that day.

On March 30, competitors tested their physical fitness, tactical combat movement, problem-solving skills in the O-Course, and basic combat readiness skills in the Army Warrior Task Lanes.

On the penultimate day, participants performed the M4 carbine and M240 machine gun range shooting test, and the final day concluded with a morning lake swim and a 9.5-mile march.

With information from Infodefensa