Taxing Terrain and Erratic Environment: Sandhurst Creates the Tough Soldier

Abrisk, cloud-covered morning welcomed the competitors of the 2023 Sandhurst International Military Skills Competition to the grounds of West Point this past April. Since 1967, spring semester at the United States Military Academy at West Point has culminated with the annual Sandhurst International Military Skills Competition. Over the decades, the competition has evolved to now include not only the cadets of the United States Military Academy and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst but dozens of other international military academies, Reserve Officer Training Corps, and sister service academy teams. These Sandhurst competitors arrive from across the United States and the globe seeking to test their physical and military merit.

One of the Sandhurst Competition’s most defining and potent challenges has been the landscape of West Point. The former Revolutionary War fort, chosen for its strategic relationship with the Hudson River, is at times the most formidable opponent Sandhurst competitors face. Throughout the two-day 2023 competition, teams traversed more than 30 miles of the harsh West Point terrain, and competitors experienced significant changes in elevation as they raced from station to station dispersed across West Point and its training reservation. By simply joining their Sandhurst Competition teams, these competitors have already made the statement that they are not seeking a life of comfort and ease. There is no requirement to participate in the competition. It’s a special breed of future military officer that takes on the additional challenge of training nearly all yearround for a 48-hour test of will. This special breed of competitor requires a special venue to fully test their military skills. Just like the old saying that “a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor,” it could be said that sunny weather and favorable terrain never created a tough soldier. Unpredictable temperatures (barely 40 degrees Fahrenheit in 2016, with 20 mph winds), fickle weather (a torrential overnight downpour in 2019), mountainous and unforgiving elevation, a thick tree line, and a scenic view of the Hudson River make West Point an ideal test of endurance and military merit.

The combination of West Point’s taxing terrain and erratic environment, coupled with the creative military minds from the Department of Military Instruction, transform some of the Academy’s most recognizable features into challenging tests of physicality, mental aptitude, and military merit. This year, Lusk Reservoir served as the location for a simulated resupply mission, during which competitors crossed the reservoir in Zodiac Combat Rubber Raiding Crafts. As the competition progressed, competitors found themselves atop West Point’s ski slope executing a simulated river crossing using their mountaineering skills to construct a one-rope bridge. The first day of the competition culminated with a grueling 8-mile ruck march beginning on West Point’s iconic Plain and ending at the fabled Camp Buckner. Along the route, competitors raced through West Point’s historic housing, across the fairways of the West Point Golf Course, and up the hills and along the trails of West Point’s rigorous training areas.

After a brief respite at Camp Buckner’s “luxurious” accommodations, competitors began day two of the competition in the woods of West Point’s extensive training areas, traversing obstacle courses and conducting live-fire marksmanship. While day one of the competition took place almost entirely in the main post area, day two of the competition brought the competitors “down range” (day two also brought rain). Those who spent their summers training as West Point cadets will recognize the familiar names serving as competition sites, such as LZ Owl, the Marne Obstacle Course, and the Normandy Range Complex. After the competitors worked their way through these West Point training areas, they found themselves on the fabled steps of Washington Hall to face their final two challenges. First, they raced up six flights of stairs to the West Point Simulation Center, where competitors conducted simulated calls for artillery fire in the state-ofthe-art facility. The competition then concluded with a culminating crucible event that took place on a soggy Daly Field overlooking the Hudson River. Throughout the 48-hour Sandhurst competition, future military officers from across the globe experience all that the West Point terrain has to offer.

Throughout the past five decades, the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition has evolved to meet the challenges of the modern battlefield. Cadets from across the world continue to descend upon the majestic and unforgiving terrain of the United States Military Academy at West Point to test their physical and mental fortitude. While the teams change and the competition transforms, one constant remains: the natural and foreboding landscape of West Point. 

MAJ Conor Downs is the lone U.S. Marine Corps representative to USMA. He is a career infantry officer with multiple overseas deployments. He currently serves as an instructor in the Department of Military Instruction as well as the Officer in Charge of the Sandhurst Competition.

Sandhurst 2023 Top 10 Results