Soldiers compete for top honors in NCO, Soldier of the Year Competition in Italy

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Soldiers compete for top honors in NCO, Soldier of the Year Competition in Italy

VICENZA, ITALY

07.15.2026

Story by Staff Sgt. Raquel Birk 

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

VICENZA, Italy — Soldiers from U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), the 173rd Mobile Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 207th Military Intelligence Brigade (Theater), and 509th Signal Battalion, 2d Theater Signal Brigade, competed for the titles of Noncommissioned Officer of the Year and Soldier of the Year during SETAF-AF’s annual competition at Caserma Del Din, July 16, 2026

The competition brought together three NCOs and three junior enlisted Soldiers selected by their commands to demonstrate excellence in physical fitness, tactical proficiency, military knowledge and leadership. Throughout the event, competitors faced a series of rigorous evaluations designed to identify the command’s top performers while reinforcing the Army’s commitment to readiness and professional excellence

“When I was a young Soldier, we just did the knowledge board, but there was no way to test your physical capabilities, your tactical capabilities and how you implemented those two into any kind of scenario,” said U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Chad B. Harness, senior enlisted advisor, SETAF-AF. “The goal is that we actually test you and see where you stand as a Soldier or as a noncommissioned officer to determine whether or not we have the best person.”

The competition began with the Expert Physical Fitness Assessment, requiring competitors to complete a demanding sequence of events while wearing Operational Camouflage Pattern uniforms, helmets, eye protection, gloves and plate carriers. The assessment included two one-mile runs separated by functional fitness tasks, including dead-stop pushups, a 100-meter sprint, sandbag lifts, a farmer carry, a high crawl and three-to-five-second rushes

“The experiences that helped me the most are definitely the training I’ve received from when I was a junior enlisted Soldier on weapons systems and physical fitness and just being able to rely on those level-10 skills,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Nathan Newton, an infantryman assigned to the 173rd MBCT

Following the physical assessment, competitors demonstrated their tactical proficiency during Expert Soldier Badge and Expert Infantryman Badge lanes. Graders evaluated each participant on weapons handling, including clearing, disassembling, assembling and conducting function checks on the M4 carbine, M249 squad automatic weapon and M17 pistol

“This competition differs from my daily life because, as someone who works in geo-intelligence, I’m usually working with information systems and computers,” said U.S. Army Pfc. Logan Doll, a geospatial engineer with the 517th Geospatial Planning Cell, Intelligence and Sustainment Company, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, SETAF-AF. “Working with weapon systems, physical tests, writing essays and doing boards are all things that I don’t do in my daily job.”

The competition then shifted from physical performance to intellectual and leadership challenges. Competitors completed a 50-question written examination before writing an essay on contemporary Army leadership topics, including professional military education requirements and balancing garrison responsibilities with combat readiness

“The toughest part of the competition was definitely the essay,” Newton said. “It was a lot to think through in a limited amount of time, but I relied on the knowledge I’d gained from my leaders and my own experiences to work through it.”

The final event placed competitors before a formal board of senior leaders while wearing the Army Green Service Uniform. Board members assessed military knowledge, communication skills, leadership philosophy and decision-making under pressure

“I’d say the board was the toughest part of the competition,” Doll said. “I’d never appeared before a board at that high of a level, and it was stressful, but studying with my NCOs and preparing beforehand helped me be ready.”

At the conclusion of the competition, Newton was named the command’s 2026 Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, while Doll earned the title of 2026 SETAF-AF Soldier of the Year

“Being named SETAF-AF Soldier of the Year means a lot to me because everything I’d done leading up to this competition helped prepare me for it,” Doll said. “It was a test of my abilities, and earning this title showed me I could perform under pressure.”

Harness congratulated all six competitors, emphasizing that every Soldier who volunteered demonstrated the initiative and professionalism expected of Army leaders

“I’m very proud of the units that were represented today, but we can only have one winner for each category,” Harness said. “For the NCOs, this should be the sharpening of your skills because that’s what we do, we sharpen each other. And for every competitor, simply having the courage to step forward and compete says a lot about your character.”

The annual competition showcased the physical readiness, tactical proficiency and leadership required of today’s Soldiers while reinforcing SETAF-AF’s commitment to developing adaptive, disciplined professionals prepared to meet future operational challenges

“I believe this competition makes us better by showing that there is a standard and you should always try to exceed it in all aspects, whether it’s physical fitness, weapons handling, general knowledge or leadership,” Newton said. “You should always try to improve yourself, and I want someone to try and beat me.”

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