The 18th annual International Sniper Competition opened at Fort Benning, Georgia, during a ceremony at the Sniper Compound earlier in October and the results are now in.

No less than 30 two-person teams from across the Army, the Department of Defense and civilian law enforcement agencies and from around the world competed in various events to determine who are the best two-person sniper teams in the World.

This year 10 teams represented the countries of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom. U.S. military services are represented by teams from the Army, Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Air Force. One team is joint service with both a Sailor and a Soldier. And representing civilian law enforcement is a team from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The two-man teams lined up next to a digital timer behind a red line. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the teams were to begin their first event, a simulation where they ran to a building, climbed the building and engaged a hostile target before the target killed their hostage.

Over the course of more than three days the teams competed in events that tested their abilities in long-range marksmanship, observation, reconnaissance and reporting, and stealth movement.

A slight handicap (for some) is that all participants must use the same weapon platform, which means using firearms that some of the snipers and spotters aren’t normally used to.

The designated firearms are the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System for snipers and the M4 for the spotters – pictured below.

(FORT BENNING, Ga.) – Sniper Teams from across the globe travel to Fort Benning, Georgia to compete in the Annual International Sniper Competition, Oct 14 – 16, 2018, on post. The goal of this competition is to identify the best sniper team from a wide range of agencies and organizations that includes the U.S. Military, international militaries, and local, state and federal law enforcement. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick A. Albright, Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning Public Affairs)

For instance, the Team leader for the Swedish Armed Forces said: “We will borrow all the equipment and weapons from the Americans which is one of the biggest challenges. We have never practiced before with this equipment and we are not familiar with the weapon other than its basic functions and operation.“

If you remember, this team won Europe’s Best Sniper Competition recently, with their own firearms and equipment.

Press Release:

FORT BENNING, Ga. (Oct. 19, 2018) – For the second consecutive year, the team from the 75th Ranger Regiment took first place in the 18th annual International Sniper Competition at Fort Benning, Georgia, Oct. 19.

Staff Sgts. Brandon Kelley and Jonathan Roque scored the most points in the multi-day competition that involved two-person teams from across the Army, from other services in the Department of Defense, from the FBI and from other countries.

During the closing ceremony of the competition, awards were presented to the top three teams, the top stock, the top spotter, and the top international team:

– First place overall: Team #17, 75th Ranger Regiment, Staff Sgts. Brandon Kelley and Jonathan Roque
– Second place overall: Team #9, Colorado Army National Guard, Staff Sgt. Michael E. Fulmer and Spc. Tristan Ivkov
– Third place overall: Team #30, Swedish 17th Wing Air Force Rangers, Lance Cpls. Erik Azcarate and David Jacobsson

– Top Stock: Team #17, 75th Ranger Regiment
– Top Spotter: Fulmer, Team #9

– Top International Team: Team #30, Swedish 17th Wing Air Force Rangers, Azcarate and Jacobsson.
– Iron Man Team: Team #30, Swedish 17th Wing Air Force Rangers, Azcarate and Jacobsson

Below: The winners, Team 17. 75th Ranger Regiment, Staff Sgts. Brandon Kelley and Jonathan Roque

Brig. Gen. David M. Hodne, the U.S. Army Infantry School commandant, spoke at the ceremony.

“Working together in this venue is a great way for us to share ideas, build rapport and train our forces,” said Hodne. “After all, the purpose of the International Sniper Competition is to improve our collective lethality.”

He also talked about what distinguishes snipers from other Soldiers.

“There something special about a sniper,” said Hodne. “Snipers are disciplined, physically fit, and emotionally stable. They know how to concentrate under enormous pressure, and under fire. They have good, common sense. They know how to read terrain and weather conditions. They are silent and stealthy experts in camouflage. They are alert. And they understand the importance of initiative.”

Below: Team #9, Colorado Army National Guard, Staff Sgt. Michael E. Fulmer and Spc. Tristan Ivkov

Some teams, this is their Super Bowl; this is what they train for,” said Kelley. “For us, this is an additional evaluation – where we are before we go overseas and do our job. And it’s treated as such.”

“We take it as an additional training opportunity,” said Roque. “We take full advantage of it.”

The airmen from the Swedish 17th Wing Air Force Rangers are three months. They recently won first place in the European Best Sniper Competition, which took place at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, shortly after they had graduated from their sniper training.

Below: – Third place overall, as well as Iron Man Team Team: #30, Swedish 17th Wing Air Force Rangers, Lance Cpls. Erik Azcarate and David Jacobsson

“It proves our education is good back home in Sweden,” said Jacobsson.

The team also appreciated the opportunity to network with other snipers.

“It’s always good to hang out with people who have more experience than you, to learn from each other,” said Azcarate.

To see more photos from the the 2018 International Sniper Competition please check here.