Special report: Inside the most epic military skills competition on the planet
Forty-eight cadet teams from around the world have gone head to head for the epic Sandhurst Cup at US Military Academy West Point in New York State.
The gruelling two-day competition is not for the faint-hearted and, comprising 14 events over 48 hours, it is designed to test the basic skills needed to survive and thrive in a combat environment – from physical endurance to shooting to communications and combat medicine.
After fighting their way through the various obstacles and challenges while hauling a bag weighing a minimum of 15kg for approximately 30 miles, a team from the US won the overall event, with the UK's Blue team finishing 35th and the Red team finishing 14th.
The rivalry between the teams may have been intense but with the backdrop of a land war in Europe and rising tensions in the Pacific, the core of the competition is about the experience of operating as a coalition.
Major Conor Downs, an organiser of the Sandhurst Competition, explains the essence of the Sandhurst Cup, saying: "This is a real eye-opening event that no matter what you do in your career, you're not going to do it alone.
"You're going to have partners, you're going to have the joint force, whether that's American, Canadian, the UK, you're never going to operate alone.
"So you need to develop those leadership skills and those interpersonal skills to work with a variety of cultures and other militaries."
He added: "You get to experience what that's going to be like when you operate as a coalition, as a joint force."
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