CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- 137 Marines from 30 units east of the Mississippi River gathered at the Stone Bay Rifle Range on Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune to test their precision, speed and combat marksmanship during the Fiscal Year 2026 Marine Corps Marksmanship Competition-East. The regional competition, part of the Competition in Arms Program (CIAP), began Monday, Feb. 23, and concluded with an awards ceremony Friday, March 6.
For the past 115 years, the primary objective of the CIAP has been to stimulate interest and desire for self-improvement in marksmanship and to enhance proficiency within the Marine Corps in the use of individual small arms by refining precision and combat marksmanship skills through advanced marksmanship training and competition. The MCMC provides an opportunity for teams and individual Marines to refine the skills that make a Marine lethal on the battlefield.
“As Marines know, combat is not a one-way street,” said Staff Sgt. Noah Mohr, competitor for the Marine Corps Installations-East shooting team. “Being able to perform whenever that moment comes is definitely a requirement for anyone who may or may not find themselves in that situation.”
The Marine Corps Marksmanship Competition is an annual event that is open to individual Marines and Marine Corps units.
“This is open to any Marine, not just shooting teams,” Capt. Sean Carroll, officer in charge of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris Island shooting team, said. “It’s a great opportunity to hone your skills, no matter your MOS [Military Occupational Specialty]... Marksmanship is not just something that’s left to the infantry in the Marine Corps.”
Throughout the event, Marines competed in both individual and team events, firing their service rifles, such as the M4, M16 and M27, and the M18 service pistol. The various stages, or “courses of fire,” test speed, precision, accuracy and adaptability.
Sgt. Samuel Bravo, reserve Marine Corps Shooting Team member and support staff for the MCMC-East, said, “The goal with competition shooting is basically to have a more realistic way to test your capabilities.”
The Marine Corps mantra “Every Marine a rifleman” is attributed to Gen. Alfred M. Gray, 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps. While most Marines complete annual rifle qualification, the dynamic courses of fire shot at the MCMC push competitors in new and challenging ways.
The skills honed by individual shooters during the MCMC are then brought back to their home units and can be taught to the next generation of Marines.
Carroll is also the executive officer for Kilo Company at the Recruit Training Battalion at MCRD Parris Island where he is responsible for drill instructors and recruit training.
“We say every Marine is a rifleman, and that’s something we stress, especially down on the recruit depots, engraining that into our new recruits,” Carroll said. His marksmanship instructors enrolled in the MCMC as competitors for the MCRD Parris Island shooting team. “Coming up to this competition allows us to sharpen those skills and reinforce what we’re teaching to the recruits.”
These competitions represent complex combat scenarios, Bravo said, adding that the ranges of MCB Camp Lejeune are perfectly set up to host marksmanship competitions such as the MCMC.
“We get a lot of support from the range staff here as well,” Bravo said. “That’s one of the big differences between this range specifically and the ones we have access to at other regional matches. We get direct support from the staff here.”
During the first two days of the two-week event, participants receive coaching from members of the Marie Corps Shooting Team. Shooters are then able to apply their skills in a variety of events throughout the competition, including individual and team rifle and pistol matches as well as night shooting using night vision.
At the awards ceremony, the top 10% of competitors in rifle and pistol were awarded an Excellence in Competition Badge for their respective weapons systems (rifle or pistol). These competitors are invited to participate in the Marine Corps Championships held at Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA, from April 13 to 24.
Sgt. Tanner Wright, marksmanship instructor, Weapons Training Battalion, MCB Camp Lejeune, was awarded the Gunner’s Trophy for overall grand aggregate score. The Elliott Trophy was awarded to the 2d Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion Team for the highest aggregate rifle scores of a big unit team in the rifle team match. The Wirgman Trophy was awarded to School of Infantry-East Team for the highest aggregate rifle score of a small unit team in the rifle team match. The Edson Trophy was awarded to the Weapons Training Battalion, MCB Camp Lejeune, Team for the highest aggregate pistol score in the pistol team match.
“We can talk about Force Design, emerging technology and the changing character of warfare – and those conversations are important,” said Brig. Gen. Ralph J. Rizzo, Jr., commanding general, Marine Corps Installations East-MCB Camp Lejeune. “But at the end of the day, the brilliance of the Marine warfighter still comes down to the fundamentals – locating, closing with and destroying the enemy by putting accurate rounds on target. Competitions like this give Marines the opportunity to sharpen those core skills, learn from each other and perfect their craft.”
Photo and b-roll of the MCMC-East can be found at: