Servicemen from the Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan distinguished themselves at the annual Best Warrior competition, organized and implemented by the Mississippi National Guard at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center.
The Best Warrior competition includes military disciplines, such as physical training, obstacle courses, night navigation, weapons proficiency, first aid, nuclear, biological and chemical weapons protection, and artillery fire control. Uzbek Soldiers competed against Mississippi National Guard Soldiers and Airmen.
Uzbekistan’s Jr. Sgt. Alishokh Abdullaev and 3rd Class Sgt. Shokhrukh Zhovkashev represented their country with distinction, earning a special award at the end of the competition for their outstanding performances. Both Abdullaev and Zhovkashev set competition records.
This is not the first time that Uzbekistan’s Soldiers have excelled in the competition. Uzbek servicemen have regularly competed in Best Warrior since 2019, during which they routinely win top honors.
The Armed Forces of Uzbekistan and the Mississippi National Guard are partners in the State Partnership Program, which the U.S. Department of War launched in 1993 to build and strengthen military-to-military and civilian-to-military relationships between U.S. states and partner countries.
Uzbek troops have participated in Southern Strike, a large-scale international exercise hosted by Mississippi each year that focuses on total force interoperability. Uzbekistan has also taken part in annual national disaster response exercises Ardent Sentry and Patriot South.