On Sunday, April 14, 2024, the press service of the 18th Mechanized Division announced on social media that tank crews from the 1st Warsaw Armored Brigade from Wesoła (1. WBPanc.) will participate in the 2024 Sullivan Cup Tank Crew Competition in the United States.
Photo: 18th Mechanized Division
The Sullivan Cup is a prestigious, international military competition held in the United States every two years. The event gathers the best tank crews from armies around the world. It assesses their individual skills as well as their teamwork during armored operations in a rigorous and comprehensive manner. Participants must demonstrate excellent proficiency in tank operation and battle tactics.
As stated on the organizers’ website, the competition will take place between April 29th and May 3rd of this year, at Fort Moore in the state of Georgia (formerly Fort Benning), where the United States Army Armor School (USAARMS) is located.
The Sullivan Cup was named in honor of retired Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, who served as an officer in the US Army for over 36 years, commanding numerous units and culminating his career as the 32nd Chief of Staff of the US Army and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The competition takes place in the spring of even-numbered years.
This will mark the international debut of Polish tank crews on the M1A1FEP Abrams (Firepower Enhancement Package). The first platoons of these vehicles from Wesoła were certified on February 1st of this year. In previous years, Polish tank crews participated with good results in competitions such as the Strong Europe Tank Challenge in Germany (3rd place in 2016, 6th place in 2017, and 5th place in 2018) using Leopard 2A5 tanks, the Worthington Challenge in Canada (3rd place in 2017 on borrowed Leopard 2A4 tanks), and the Nordic Tank Challenge in Denmark (not on the podium in 2016 on borrowed Leopard 2A5DK tanks).
Image: Fort Moore