The annual Best Sapper Competition gathers the U.S. Army’s elite engineers to compete in tests of skill, endurance, and creativity in leveraging advanced technologies.
That’s why the Army’s ENFIRE reconnaissance system played a role in this year’s competition held at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., from April 20 to 23.
Cory Baron, who manages Product Director Combat Terrain Information Systems (PD CTIS) which fields ENFIRE, explained why the system was included in the competition for the third year in a row.
“Being invited to participate in the Best Sapper competition is an incredible honor,” said Baron. “To be asked to come back again and again is a testament to the work the team has done to advance these capabilities and continue to shape the future of the program.”
The Instrument Set, Reconnaissance and Surveying (Common name: ENFIRE) supports Soldiers by expediting deliberate route, area and zone reconnaissance, route clearance, hazard identification, inventory, and construction management efforts through the integration of digital tools into a single platform.
The Best Sapper Competition began in 2005 and is hosted by the U.S. Army Engineer School. Competition officials say Best Sapper not only proves the best engineering team but aims to “challenge and test the service members’ knowledge, physical prowess and mental fortitude.”
Ahead of the competition, PD CTIS engineers planned the ENFIRE lane, which recons would be conducted, and how to best utilize system software and hardware. The team then participates in a full dress rehearsal to ensure ENFIRE competition parameters are feasible and responds to questions from senior leadership. PD CTIS does not play a role in evaluating competitors but remains on site throughout the event for technical support if needed.
PD CTIS leverages events like the Best Sapper Competition to evaluate capabilities in a high paced and highly dynamic environment, putting ENFIRE through its paces in unprecedented ways.
“Supporting and observing in real-time, our systems being used to answer complex engineer challenges, is an incredible opportunity to receive critical feedback that help us in the program office shape future iterations of the tools to maximize utility of system,” Baron said.
ENFIRE demonstrated ease of use for the engineers with almost no training provided by PD CTIS staff. Competitors tested new ENFIRE and ENFIRE Dismounted functionality at a strenuous level, proving reliability in a high-pressure environment.
While the competition provided engineers an opportunity to prove their skills on ENFIRE it also provided PD CTIS an opportunity to improve the system, currently in its 12th iteration. During the competition the team identified minor software issues that will be addressed with planned fieldings in 2027 and 2028.
“The insights the team receive through facilitating and observing competitors is priceless,” Baron said. “Observing the system function in an extreme environment to support engineer mission tasks at speed is a critical factor in the evolution of the kit as we continuously modernize these capabilities.”
By M. Scott Bortot
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