The U.S. Army reports that the III Armored Corps Law Enforcement Activity (LEA) hosted a Run and Gun Challenge at Fort Hood, Texas, on Oct. 9, 2026. The LEA is part of Headquarters Battalion, III Armored Corps. The event tested marksmanship and quick decisions while competitors were moving and under stress. That matters to Soldiers and small-unit leaders who want training that feels closer to real pressure.
Military and local law enforcement teams took part. Each team had two people. They moved across a 2.5-mile course with eight stations and fired pistols, rifles and shotguns. Soldiers from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment and the Special Operations Recruiting Battalion (SORB) also competed.
The stations were not like a standard range. Competitors shot from a stationary helicopter and crossed a rope bridge. They also fired a sniper rifle from the roof of a shoot house and then moved through an underground tunnel system. Several obstacles tested whether they could keep good marksmanship from an unstable position.
Sgt. 1st Class Christina Christiansen, the event planner and an LEA platoon sergeant, said the team format forces partners to decide who leads. She said they must communicate often while they move. In her words, this builds confidence to make decisions in a hasty position.
Cpl. Lee McLean and Spc. Dallas Oliver, both from the SORB, won in 52 minutes. McLean said he planned the next station while running. He thought about magazine position, breath control and trigger squeeze. Both winners said they felt nervous. Oliver said they came in a little underprepared, but they kept pushing.
The LEA awarded the winners a limited edition SIG Sauer Army 250th anniversary M17 pistol and a P365 pistol. Staff Sgt. Henry Montalvo, who is assigned to the LEA, said the event also helped the LEA learn from outside groups. He named the Killeen, Temple and Belton police departments as examples of agencies the LEA works with.
This was a local event, not an Army-wide policy change. The article does not announce a new rule, standard or requirement. It also does not report measured training results.
Leaders can still use it as a discussion point. Ask your team who leads when a task changes fast. Ask how partners share information while moving. Ask how Soldiers plan the next step without losing focus on the current one. Those questions could shape a realistic, safe training event within your own unit's rules.
Source: U.S. Army: III Armored Corps Law Enforcement Activity Hosts First Ever Run and Gun Challenge. Published 2026-10-29.