A two-man Marine Corps team won the Army's International Sniper Competition at Fort Benning, Georgia, breaking a 17-year drought for the Corps at one of the military's most demanding marksmanship events.
Staff Sgt. Tyler Johnson and Sgt. Spencer Harrell of the Marine Corps Shooting Team took first place on April 10, outlasting rival teams drawn from the Army, the Marine Corps and partner nations.
Their win is only the second time a Marine pair has claimed the title since the event began in 2001.
A Rare Corps Title
The competition ran April 7 through 10 as part of Fort Benning's annual Infantry Week, a slate of five service contests that also included the Best Ranger, Best Mortar, Lacerda Cup combatives and the new Best Jumpmaster competition.
Johnson and Harrell competed for the Marine Corps Shooting Team, the Corps' professional competitive marksmanship unit based at Weapons Training Battalion on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.
The pair accepted the championship trophy at an awards ceremony in McGinnis-Wickam Hall on Fort Benning. A photo later posted by the USMC Shooting Team's social media account showed the pair showing off their awards alongside a 24-pack of Crayola crayons.
The only previous Marine team to claim the title was Sgt. Joshua Huskey and Sgt. Grant Royal of the Camp Pendleton Sniper School, who won back in 2009.
Inside the Competition
The International Sniper Competition is invitation-only and open to military teams from the United States and NATO partner nations. Instructors from the U.S. Army Sniper School design the events and grade the results.
Teams shoot at long range, stalk targets without being seen, conduct reconnaissance, report what they find, and navigate under load, all against the clock. Events shift year to year to keep teams from drilling on a fixed course.
Shooting is only part of it. Competitors must read wind and weather, calculate firing data on the move, navigate unfamiliar terrain and stay in radio contact with a partner under time pressure. Physical fatigue and the weight of a ghillie suit and other sniper tools add to the load.
Snipers serve as the eyes and ears as well as the long range shooters for larger formations. Their reconnaissance feeds targeting information back to their commanders, and their precision fire can shape an engagement before mortars or artillery are called in.
Breaking Army Dominance
Army teams, especially Army special operations and Rangers, have taken most of the overall titles since the contest began 25 years ago. The 75th Ranger Regiment, Special Forces units, the Army Marksmanship Unit and the Army National Guard have repeatedly claimed the trophy.
A team from the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment took back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, and an Army Marksmanship Unit pair did the same in 2007 and 2008. An Army National Guard team even won the 2023 event.
Wins by non-Army teams are rare. A Canadian pair from the Royal 22nd Regiment won the inaugural competition in 2001, and an Irish team from the Defence Forces took the title in 2015. The Camp Pendleton Marines in 2009 remained the only Marine champions until this month.
Johnson and Harrell earned the win and took the trophy back to Quantico, the Marine Corps' first International Sniper Competition title in 17 years.
