Two Arkansas National Guardsmen win 1st place in International Sniper Competition

FORT BENNING, Ga – Two natives of the Natural State earned top marks in an international sniper competition.

A team of Army National Guardsmen comprised of Arkansas National Guard Staff Sgts. Benjamin Cotten, Allen Smith and their team leader Sgt. 1st Class Erik Vargas of the New Mexico National Guard won 1st place in the 2023 International Sniper Competition (ISC).

The competition pitted 35 three-person sniper teams from different U.S. military branches and international militaries against each other to see who the best team of sharpshooters was. It tested the teams’ ability to communicate and make decisions under stress and fatigue.

Smith and Cotten are full-time firefighters in Shreveport, Louisiana, and sniper instructors. Cotten said he has wanted to win the ISC since completing sniper school.

“I watched the event year after year and noticed the caliber of snipers that competed. I worked as hard as I could and learned as much as I could to be able to compare myself with them,” Cotten said. “Just being able to attend the event was a dream come true.”