Fifty-four teams of ROTC cadets competed Feb. 21-22 in the Northern Warfare Challenge event held at Fort McCoy and La Crosse, Wis.

ROTC teams with U.S. Army Cadet Command came from all around the United States as they battled through a wide variety of challenges and long ruck marching courses in cold and snow to fight for the top spot as challenge champion.

Lt. Col. Brian Knutson with University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Military Science Department said at Fort McCoy cadets faced a variety of challenges during the competition. The cadets then did a 12-mile ruck in La Crosse, Wis., on the second day of their competition.

Final Results included West Point taking first, Wheaton College earning second, and the University Wisconsin-Madison taking third.

“The competition is designed for Army ROTC teams to compete against each other in cold-weather survival skills that also test their physical endurance,” said Knutson, whose ROTC team from La Crosse won the title two years ago. “The first day … at Fort McCoy, we were testing various skills related to cold weather. They were being tested on their knowledge of weather, knots, cold-weather injuries, and then how to evacuate a casualty in cold weather.

“And then … the 12-mile race was through the bluffs of La Crosse,” Knutson said. “That’s one of the more enduring things of this challenge.”

The 2025 Northern Warfare Challenge offered a better experience for the cadets to compete in than 2024 because of the weather.

“Compared to last year where we had no snow, this year we’ve got a little bit more snow. So, that (could) slow down the teams a little bit. Maybe also create some ice out on the trails around the bluffs to add a little bit more of a challenge for the teams.”

Knutson also said the competition is good for building camaraderie between the cadets and the different teams.

“The cadets — they absolutely love it,” Knutson said. “Not only do they like coming to cheer on their own teams, but they love seeing all the other schools and getting to compete against them is kind of a highlight for this time of year when not much else is going on.”

Knutson said his team from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse was a good team.

“We were hopeful,” Knutson said. “I think we (had) a strong team this year.”

In the end, Knutson said he was just glad to see enjoy the competition once again.

“It’s just a great time for all these teams to get together, have a little competition, and enjoy the cold weather here in Wisconsin,” Knutson said.

According to their history at https://armyrotc.army.mil/history, “Army ROTC is the largest officer-producing organization with the American military, having more than 600,000 men and women have earned a commission through the program. Among them are two chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, seven Army chiefs of staff, two Cabinet secretaries and a sitting Supreme Court associate justice. Few other military commissioning sources can claim such significant lineage.

“Throughout the last hundred years, the U.S. and the Army faced numerous challenges both at home and abroad,” the website states. “Wars against despotic foreign governments were fought and won; economic depressions endured; medical, scientific and technological advances were made; and U.S.-led peacekeeping operations contributed to greater global stability. … These opportunities expose cadets to everyday life in different cultures and also intensify language study. Armed with these experiences, today’s ROTC cadets are well-prepared to assume the reins of small-unit leadership from the onset of their service to the nation.”

The next Northern Warfare Challenge is tentatively planned for February 2026.

Learn more about Army ROTC by visiting https://armyrotc.army.mil. Learn more about the ROTC battalion at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse by visiting their Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/eaglebattalionarmyrotc.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”

Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”