Giving it your best shot: that’s what New York National Guards members are doing at the Best Warrior Competition. They're squaring off with Swedish service members in a friendly clash.

Native New Yorker Sgt. Alexandro Dierdonne says he was eager to enter for the first time.

“It is definitely a goal to strive for winning the best work," he said. "Competition means a lot to myself and my unit. It would be an honor to bring back the title of Best Warrior to back to my unit.”

It’s a weeklong struggle, with one of the final events being a marksmanship challenge. Command Sgt. Maj. Edwin Garris, who oversees the competition, says it tests the ability to perform under stress. 

“The stress on this one is the timing," he said. "The timing is so short, but you got to be accurate. You've got to be able to go from the holster, aim and shoot and in a very limited time.”

It’s also a great chance to build camaraderie with fellow servicemen and women. 

“Inspire them to want to go back and say, 'Hey, we need to train with these elements, we need the U.S. to come here and us to go there,'" Garris said. "Continue to collaborate and build those bridges on our countries as true allies.”

Dierdonne says there’s a lot to learn from his Swedish comrades. 

"You always are curious about different cultures," he said. "So, you ask them what they do. What do they eat? What do they say? How do they train? Those conversations go back and forth for minutes, even sometimes hours, when you're out in the field.”