JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. — The 11th Airborne Division has claimed the title of having U.S. Army Pacific’s (USARPAC) Best Squad after an intense five-day competition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., held July 20-24.
The 2026 USARPAC Best Squad Competition, a physically and mentally demanding event designed to identify the Army’s most cohesive, disciplined and lethal small-unit team.
“Coming into the competition I was pretty nervous, but I knew that we had trained and were ready for this,” said Staff Sgt. Chad Hale, the squad leader for the 11th Airborne Division team.
The USARPAC Best Squad Competition underscores the Army’s emphasis on readiness in the Pacific theater, where small-unit lethality and disciplined execution remain critical to mission success. The event reinforces the principle that lethality starts at the squad, highlighting how Soldiers operate as the Army’s foundational warfighting element.
Throughout the week, squads executed a wide range of tasks reflective of real-world operations. Soldiers demonstrated proficiency in land navigation, weapons proficiency, tactical combat casualty care, military operations in urban terrain, and more in austere and contested conditions.
For many competitors, these challenges pushed them beyond their typical training experiences.
“We put a lot of hard hours into mastering [Expert Infantry Badge] taskings,” said Spc. Macguire Klemick, 11th Airborne Division. “Win or lose I looked at the competition as an overall training event. I got to do a lot of things I wouldn’t normally do.”
A number of additional events forced the squads to endure physical hardships, including air and water operations, obstacle courses, and intense workouts.
“We knew the heat would be an issue, we put a lot of focus on physical readiness too,” Klemick said. We came here and tried to perform the best we could with little to no acclimation.”
Despite the competitive environment, participants described the field as evenly matched.
“The competition was so close, everybody came prepared,” said Spc. William Ebarb, 11th Airborne Division. “We knew we were top three, but it really could’ve been either of those other two squads.”
Klemick echoed Ebarb’s thoughts on the competition.
“There are so many good teams out here,” Klemick said. “Everyone said it was a toss-up. I knew it was a coin-flip who was gonna get first through fourth. I was just happy to be here and happy to compete against these other great teams.”
Overall, the competition demonstrated the readiness and resilience of the Pacific’s squads across the theater, showcasing combat-ready formations that are capable of projecting and sustaining combat power in contested environments.
During the closing ceremony, Command Sgt. Maj. Jonathan Reffeor, I Corps’ senior-enlisted advisor, spoke on how he was impressed by all the participating teams.
“We started with 16 teams, and every team finished,” Reffeor said. “We can go forward and operate in our theater. Our NCOs are ready to fight.”
This year’s events also included the usage of UAS, reflecting the Army’s transformation initiative and demonstrating the Soldier’s ability to adapt to and execute new tasks and challenges.
The 11th Airborne Division will go on to represent U.S. Army Pacific at the Army competition later this year, carrying forward the standard of excellence demonstrated throughout the event.
“I would like to thank my team for coming out here and just pushing. They pushed every single day, I never had to stay on them about it,” Hale said. “Also my wife and kids back home, who were a driving force in supporting my ability to come out here and lead these guys to the best of my ability.”
The full 11th Airborne Squad consisted of Staff Sgt. Chad Hale, Sgt. Trent Robinson, Spc. William Ebarb, Spc. Ryan Kieliszewski, and Spc. Macguire Klemick.
