NZ Army crew packs a punch at international Light Armoured Vehicle competition

It was the New Zealand Army’s first time participating at the event, which is organised and run by the United States Marine Corps (USMC) out of Camp Pendleton, California. 

Two NZ Army crews drawn from 1 RNZIR participated alongside Australian and US Marine Corps teams, with the Kiwi contingent spending 10 days ahead of the competition familiarising with the US equipment. 

“The battalion is extremely proud of what our LAV crews have achieved,” said 1RNZIR Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Caleb Berry.

“Although the turret and weapon systems are very similar, their ability to conduct a short conversion onto a partner nation’s equipment and then perform so well is a testament to the high level of individual skills that Kiwi soldiers possess.

The Bushmaster Challenge is effectively a Skill at Arms competition for LAV crews, testing soldiers across their suite of mounted and dismounted capabilities.

It included core soldiering skills across individual weapons handling, tactical combat casualty care, the ability to request all-arms fires support, as well as theory and armoured vehicle recognition tests.

Soldiers were also tested on their ability to quickly move into an area and conceal themselves using camouflage and concealment techniques to hide from drones.

“The team demonstrated a high level of performance throughout the competition, which incorporated lessons learned from contemporary conflicts to include a camouflage stand that tested their ability to hide from a thermal-imaging capable drone,” Lieutenant Colonel Berry said.

The mounted portion of the competition – which utilised US Marine Corps standard LAV-25 -  included a variety of navigation and gunnery challenges both during the day and night.

By day, crews had to engage stationary and moving targets up to 2000m away, as well as firing 76mm screening smoke rounds, and the vehicle’s 25mm cannon in a degraded state - which is when the LAV may not have a fully functional weapons system or support in place, challenging crews to adapt their methods and techniques. 

The night portion then saw crews engaging targets from 500m through to 2.4km, focusing on their crew’s ability to accurately engage targets under time pressure.

Master Gunner Sergeant Thomas Stewart, lead planner for the Bushmaster Challenge, said across the board from USMC, Australian and New Zealand personnel, the competition highlighted a high level of professionalism and adaptability, with all participants proving capable of operating effectively in a shared environment.

“A key takeaway was the growing interoperability between partner forces. Through shared scenarios and standardised mission sets, units improved their ability to communicate, maneuver, and execute missions cohesively. The competition reinforced trust and mutual understanding - critical components for future combined operations,” said Master Gunner Sergeant Stewart. 

US Marines Corps 2^nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2^nd Marine Division was awarded the Bushmaster Cup for best overall battalion, with one of the NZ Army teams judged to be the top individual crew in the competition, which Lieutenant Colonel Berry said was an example of how a well-trained small military can perform on the international stage.

“Our thanks go to the USMC for the invitation to compete, and for hosting the Bushmaster Challenge. The relationships and interoperability built in times like these will prove invaluable in the future, should we have to operate together in the Pacific or elsewhere.”