The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) have secured a historic third-place finish at the 2026 U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) Best Medic Competition.

The elite event, held at Caserma Del Din from January 5 to 15, saw Ghanaian personnel outperform a field of international peers, underscoring the high standards of military medicine in the West African nation.

Medical professionals from the Ghana Armed Forces represented Ghana at the U.S. Army Best Medic Competition in Italy from January 13-15, 2026, where they competed alongside teams from the United States, Italy, and Liberia under demanding, combat-like conditions. For the second… pic.twitter.com/KOknYBf1Z9

— U.S. Embassy Ghana (@USEmbassyGhana) January 30, 2026

The official recognition of the feat was shared by the U.S. Embassy in Ghana on Friday, January 30, 2026, marking the second consecutive year that Ghana has fielded a joint-service team to this premier global challenge.

The Ghanaian duo of Sergeant Cornelius Adagbe (Army) and Leading Seaman Ato Amonoo-Rockson (Navy) clinched the bronze medal by amassing an impressive 2,789 out of a possible 3,000 points. Their performance was not merely a team success but included standout individual achievements:

• Leading Seaman Amonoo-Rockson recorded the competition’s second-highest score in the U.S. Army Fitness Test, earning 454 out of 500 points.
• Sergeant Adagbe finished second in the gruelling unknown distance foot march, a test of pure endurance and mental navigation.

“Ghana fielded a joint team from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, highlighting strong teamwork and a longstanding partnership with the United States in medical readiness. The team performed impressively, with Sgt Cornelius Adagbe and Leading Seaman Ato Amonoo-Rockson securing third place overall, a clear sign of the skill, discipline, and dedication of Ghana’s military medical personnel,” the U.S. Embassy post stated.

Organized by the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence (MEDCoE), the competition is designed to simulate the chaos of modern warfare.

Over a two-day competitive phase (January 13–14), the 24 participants from the U.S., Italy, Liberia, and Ghana were pushed to their limits across several high-stress domains:

• Medical Mastery: Advanced trauma care, prolonged casualty management, and specialized K-9 veterinary care.
• Tactical Proficiency: M4 carbine marksmanship, stress shoots, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) response.
• Physical Fortitude: Obstacle courses, land navigation, and a relentless warrior task circuit.

The GAF team also included Captain Emmanuel Oti-Boateng, who shared top honours with a U.S. Army medic in the Tactical Combat Casualty Care category, as well as Flight Lieutenant Margaret Boateng, further cementing Ghana's reputation for medical excellence on the world stage.