Virginia National Guard Soldiers, as well as soldiers from the Republic of Tajikistan, conduct a combat water survival test during the first day of the 2023 Virginia Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition March 16, 2023, at Virginia State University in Ettrick, Virginia. The four-day event will also include Army Warrior Tasks, a written exam, a physical fitness challenge, an obstacle course, land navigation, a 10-mile ruck march, a three-gun event and an appearance board. The highest-scoring VNG noncommissioned officer and Soldier will represent the Virginia National Guard at the regional-level competition later in 2023. Cadets with the VSU Trojan Warrior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps also supported the swimming event. Soldiers from the Republic of Tajikistan are participating in the BWC in support of the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program, in which Virginia and Tajikistan have been partners since 2003. Read more about SPP at https://ngpa.us/24494.