A Norwegian Army sniper team took home top honors at an annual event hosted by the U.S. Army Europe and Africa command.
A sergeant and lance corporal first class assigned to the Norwegian Army’s 1st Armored Battalion outshot 34 other teams from 21 other nations on their way to being named the winners of the command’s 2025 European Best Sniper Team Competition, according to a release.
Second and third place honors in the event, which was held Nov. 22 in Grafenwoehr, Germany, were awarded to Latvian and Greek sniper teams, respectively.
“It’s been fun meeting new challengers, going to new ranges, trying new things and being challenged in new ways we haven’t been before,” the Norwegian lance corporal 1st class said in the release. The team was not individually identified in the report.
The competition, organized annually by the 7th Army Training Command in either Grafenwoehr or Hohenfels, Germany, aims to enhance readiness through training scenarios, build military partnerships and better align with allies, according to the release.
To make this year’s training more realistic, the competition was held later in the year than usual to ensure competitors were met with Bavaria’s winter snow and below-freezing temperatures.
“The modern battlefield is evolving faster than at any point in history,” 7th ATC’s Command Sgt. Maj. Paul Fedorisin said in the release. “We must evolve our tactics, techniques, procedures and equipment — at speed — to remain survivable and lethal.”
In addition to enduring the climate, competitors took on tasks involving shooter and spotter communication, land navigation and target engagement at varying distances.
Each two-person team completed 16 sniper skill-level tasks across six days, earning scores throughout each event.
“It’s nice going to somewhere else to see that the things we train in at our home unit — see that it works other places and in other environments,” the Norwegian sergeant said.
The 22 participating countries included Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States.
“You are the best that each of your nations and organizations has to offer,” Fedorisin told the winning team at the award ceremony. “You represented them incredibly well.”
