Dragoon Stakes forges combat-effective Soldiers under pressure

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. - A Fort Leonard Wood basic combat training battalion is integrating a comprehensive new assessment designed to ensure Soldiers arrive at their advanced individual training units as highly disciplined, lethal and combat-ready warfighters.

Each year, the 1st Battalion, 48th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Chemical Brigade, is charged with transforming thousands of new recruits into U.S. Army Soldiers.

The battalion’s senior enlisted leader, Command Sgt. Maj. Cory Plunk, said the unit integrated Dragoon Stakes into their BCT curriculum this year to “ensure baseline proficiency and repetition,” standardizing readiness across the force and establishing a mission-capable foundation for future Army careers.

“Dragoon Stakes is an expansion of the assessments already conducted within the basic combat training program of instruction,” Plunk said. “It forces repetition of tasks in a controlled manner similar to Expert Soldier Badge lanes with specific execution requirements and expert instruction.”

Basic combat training is broken down into three main phases of red, white and blue.

“Red Phase is sort of an initial foundational phase, White Phase focuses heavily on marksmanship, and Blue Phase is sort of a culminating phase that ends with a field training exercise,” Plunk said.

According to Plunk, Dragoon Stakes is conducted at the end of Red and White phases and consists of a series of hands on, written and verbal testing on the tasks trainees were trained on. The timing is intentional, he added.

“Many of the tasks are still fresh in their minds and it builds from phase to phase so that by the end of Blue Phase they have a strong understanding of the tasks they are being asked to perform,” Plunk said.

Trainees with Company B, 1st Battalion gathered at a 3rd Chemical Brigade physical training area Aug. 17, 2026, to demonstrate their tactical agility during the Dragoon Stakes event.

Capt. Nolan Quinn, Company B commander, noted that the Dragoon Stakes validated the trainees’ proficiencies across six core Soldier disciplines acquired during BCT: M4 carbine rifle; communications; chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear; tactical combat casualty care; camouflage; and individual movement techniques.

On the M4 carbine proficiency lane, trainees were evaluated on their speed and precision while disassembling and reassembling the weapon system.

For the communications task, trainees were directed to assemble and load an advanced system improvement program radio to establish secure communications.

The CBRN challenge required trainees to properly don, seal and clear their protective masks in under nine seconds.

The camouflage lane assessed the trainees’ ability to master personal concealment, expertly applying camo paint to blend seamlessly into the operational environment.

Under the stress of simulated hostile fire, the tactical combat casualty care event tested the trainees’ grit, demanding split-second, lifesaving medical decisions while receiving incoming rounds.

Under the watchful eyes of their drill sergeants, trainees negotiated the individual movement techniques lane by executing combat maneuvers under pressure, including high- and low-profile crawls and aggressive, three to five second tactical rushes.

Quinn said trainees started the event with a written exam on basic Army knowledge and chain of command questions.

“Once complete, they moved into the testing area one squad at a time,” Quinn said. “It usually takes about five to six hours to get through all the trainees.”

Plunk said this was the battalion’s third cycle of Dragoon Stakes, since implementing it in April 2026.

“We’ve made minor adjustments each iteration in an effort to improve the outcomes and I’m sure Dragoon Stakes next cycle will look a little different than how we’re doing it now,” Plunk said.

To view more photos from Dragoon Stakes, visit the Fort Leonard Wood Flickr.