On behalf of Maj. Gen. Colin P. Tuley, Commander, United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, the United States Army Armor School (USAARMS) thanks you for your decision to participate in the 2026 Sullivan Cup Tank and Fighting Vehicle Crew Competition at Fort Benning, Georgia (FBGA). This year’s field will pit teams selected across the U.S. Army’s armored formations and international partner countries’ armed forces against each other to test tank crew maneuver, sustainment, fitness, and lethality skills. Success will require expertise on the technical and tactical skills most critical to perform in combat under conditions that will stress Soldiers physically and mentally.

The competition embodies its namesake, General (Retired) Gordon R. Sullivan. Gen. Sullivan was commissioned as an Armor officer and commanded numerous Armor Formations throughout his storied career. Gen. Sullivan retired from the Army after more than 36 years of service, which culminated as the 32nd Chief of Staff of the Army. His commitment to the Armor Force exemplifies the spirit of our Armor Soldiers. Train hard and come prepared to show the world your best!

With spring just around the corner, I am excited to announce this year’s Sullivan Cup competition. The Sullivan Cup is held every other year at Fort Benning, GA, to rigorously test and evaluate the most lethal tank and armored fighting vehicle crews from across the Armor Branch and international partners.
The Sullivan Cup is named in honor of retired GEN Gordon R. Sullivan, who was an Armor officer for 36 years, serving in a multitude of commands and culminating as the 32nd Chief of Staff of the Army and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

This year’s Sullivan Cup will take place the last week of April into the first week of May. The competition will bring together the most lethal tank and armored fighting vehicle crews from the US Army and its international partners. To be crowned the most lethal, crews must be aggressive, competent, physically fit, and decisive warfighters. Several events will pit crews against each other in head-to-head competition where only one can come out on top.

The key to success for the winning crew will be the training provided at their home station by their unit’s master gunners and tank commanders. The noncommissioned officers (NCOs) serving as master gunners were chosen to serve as subject- matter experts and to aid and assist commanders at all echelons in the planning, development and execution of training individual- and crew-gunnery tasks, vital to the unit’s effectiveness in combat. The tank commanders, primarily junior NCOs, are overall responsible for training each crewmember, ensuring proficiency in their assigned position and cross training their crewmembers in other positions. The lethality of our formations begins and ends with the NCO.

Competitions like the Sullivan Cup serve to recognize excellence throughout the force and across the Armor Branch. More importantly, they highlight the importance of mastering the fundamentals that we must preserve as a fighting force to maintain a lethal edge over our adversaries.

I am excited to have the opportunity to be a part of this year’s Sullivan Cup, and to see the best tank and armored fighting vehicle crews from across the world exhibit their lethality and excellence in the spirit of competition.