Sullivan Cup Precision Gunnery Competition
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!
Forge the Thunderbolt
"TREAT 'EM ROUGH!"
Brig. Gen. Chad C. Chalfont
Armor School Commandant
About the Competition: Sullivan Cup's Importance
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.
Forge the Thunderbolt! Armor Strong!
Command Sgt. Maj. Ryan W. Roush
Command Sergeant Major
U.S. Army Armor School
Information
Who to contact:
All unit commanders and sergeants major who would like to attend the 2026 Sullivan Cup please contact the personnel below:
1st Lt. Sean Rogers (706) 626-3784, sean.p.rogers12.mil@army.mil
Maj. Brent Bond (706) 626-2306, brent.m.bond.mil@army.mil
Gordon R. Sullivan
Sullivan retired from the United States Army on 31 July 1995 after more than 36 years of active service. He culminated his service in uniform as the 32nd Chief of Staff—the senior general officer in the Army—and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As the Chief of Staff of the Army, he created the vision and led the team that transitioned the Army from its Cold War posture. In August 1993, President Bill Clinton assigned the duties and responsibility of Acting Secretary of the Army to General Sullivan who continued to serve as Chief of Staff.
He is the co-author, with Michael V. Harper, of Hope Is Not a Method (Random House, 1996), which chronicles the enormous challenges encountered in transforming the post-Cold War Army through the lens of proven leadership principles and a commitment to shared values. He serves on the boards of several major corporations, including Newell Rubbermaid. He is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Norwich University; a director of the Institute of Defense Analyses, and the Chairman Emeritus of the Marshall Legacy Institute. Sullivan is also the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Association of the United States Army, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. He assumed his current position at the Association in February 1998. For his work with AUSA, he was awarded the prestigious Sylvanus Thayer Award by the United States Military Academy in 2003.
During his Army career, Sullivan also served as Vice Chief of Staff; Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans; Commanding General, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Riley, Kansas (June 1988-July 1989); Deputy Commandant, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas (March 1987-June 1988); and Assistant Commandant, U.S. Army Armor School, Fort Knox, Kentucky (November 1983-July 1985). His overseas assignments included four tours in Europe, two in Vietnam and one in Korea.