The Army Test and Evaluation Command and its subordinate command, the U.S. Army Operational Test Command, hosted the first Best Warrior Competition last week at West Fort Hood.

The five-day event was planned and coordinated by OTC Master Sgt. Patrick M. Burke and Sgt. 1st Class Santos Rodriquez.

Staff Sgt. Michael English, with OTC’s Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate at Fort Bragg, N.C., won the competition. Staff Sgt. Elie Aoun, with Maneuver Test Directorate at Fort Hood, was the runner-up, according to Command Sgt. Maj. Kenneth Graham, OTC’s senior enlisted adviser.

“We have a bunch of great noncommissioned officers,” Graham said, “and it is only fitting that we provide them with the opportunity to compete like the rest of the Army.

“Competitions such as these do a lot for an organization,” he said. “It builds on camaraderie, through the spirit of competition, and focuses on leader development, which is one of our No. 1 priorities.”

According to Graham, OTC’s commander, Brig. Gen. Scott Spellmon, made sure it was a well-planned and well-executed event.

Rounding out the competition were Sgt. 1st Class Carlos Casquette, Army Evaluation Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.; Staff Sgt. Ricardo Sandoval, Integrated Test and Evaluation Directorate, Fort Bliss; Sgt. Brian Bjorke, Electronic Proving Ground, Fort Huachuca, Ariz.; and Sgt. Austin Kleemeier, Aberdeen Proving Ground.

“The competition was a lot of fun,” English said. “It was fun doing soldier tasks that I don’t get to do during my day to day job.

The winner, English, and runner-up, Aoun, are forces to be reckoned with, Graham said.

“We just might have the next NCO of the Year for our Army right here in OTC,” he said.

OTC conducts operational tests in realistic environments to determine if equipment, technologies and systems the Army is considering for purchase are suitable, effective and survivable. OTC’s directorates are located at Fort Hood, Fort Bliss, Fort Sill, Fort Bragg and Fort Huachuca.