site.btaBulgarian Special Forces Team Wins First Place at Sniper Competition in Tennessee

A team from Bulgaria’s Joint Special Operations Command, consisting of Staff Sergeant Ivan Minchev and Sergeant Kostadin Krushkov, claimed first place at the annual TAG Sniper Match competition, held from July 25 to 27 at the Volunteer Training Site in Tullahoma, Tennessee, US, the Bulgarian Defence Ministry said in a press release on Tuesday.

The Bulgarian Special Forces servicemen competed against teams from the Tennessee National Guard and specialized law enforcement units. Second place went to Team "Smyrna" from the National Guard, while third place was secured by the "Bravo" Special Operations Team from Tennessee's law enforcement units.

Staff Sergeant Minchev and Sergeant Krushkov were also awarded the Governor’s Award for Excellence, in recognition of their outstanding professionalism and top-tier performance.

Throughout the competition, participants faced a series of demanding tasks designed to test critical sniper skills, including teamwork and communication, shooting from unconventional positions, and completing missions under extreme physical stress.

The Bulgarian team's success highlights the effectiveness of their focused and continuous training, as well as the high level of professionalism within Bulgaria’s Special Forces. The expertise gained in sniper and marksmanship training will also be used to support the development of snipers not only within the Bulgarian Armed Forces, but across other national security agencies as well, the Defence Ministry’s statement further reads.