There are victories, and then there are the kind of victories that make a country stop, look up, and say, “Wait, did we really just do that?”
For the Dominican Republic, Fuerza Comando Paraguay 2026 was very much the latter, becuase, Dominican Republic wins first place in military competition.
The Dominican Republic captured first place in Fuerza Comando 2026, defeating elite special operations teams from 16 other nations and making history in the process. It was the country’s first overall championship in the competition, a remarkable achievement considering the event’s long history and the military powerhouses that regularly participate.
And this was not a ceremonial trophy handed out for good attendance.
The Dominican team finished with 753.77 points, edging Colombia, which scored 748.89. The United States finished third with 720.35 points.
In other words, the Dominican Republic did not simply show up in Paraguay, salute nicely, take a few photographs and head home.
It won.
And it won a very demanding competition.
What Exactly Is Fuerza Comando?
Fuerza Comando is an annual multinational special operations skills competition and senior leadership seminar designed to bring elite military units from across the Western Hemisphere together for intense competition, training and professional exchange.
The competition was established in 2004, making the 2026 event its 20th edition. It is sponsored by the U.S. Southern Command and executed under the responsibility of Special Operations Command South, in close cooperation with the host nation.
Think of it as a very serious military Olympics, except nobody is competing for a swimming medal, nobody is doing a floor routine, and the “gym” is considerably less forgiving.
The purpose goes beyond determining which team can run the fastest or shoot the straightest.
Fuerza Comando is designed to improve interoperability, military-to-military relationships, training knowledge and regional cooperation. At the same time, senior military leaders participate in a leadership seminar addressing transnational threats and regional security challenges.
That combination makes the competition unusual.
The soldiers are competing against each other, but their countries are also learning from one another.
Paraguay Becomes the Battlefield for the 2026 Competition
The 2026 edition took place in Asunción, Paraguay, from August 24 through August 28, with Paraguay serving as host.
Seventeen nations participated, representing Central America, South America, the Caribbean and the United States.
The participating countries were:
- Argentina
- Belize
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- United States
The competition featured a demanding series of individual and team events.
Among them were physical fitness tests, pistol and rifle stress courses, precision fire and observation, a combined sniper and assaulter event, a 7.5-mile ruck, close-quarters battle exercises and a two-mile team challenge course.
So, yes, this was considerably more complicated than a game of capture the flag.
The Dominican Republic’s Historic Score
The final standings showed just how competitive the event was.
Final Fuerza Comando 2026 Standings
| Place | Country | Score |
| 🥇 1 | Dominican Republic | 753.77 |
| 🥈 2 | Colombia | 748.89 |
| 🥉 3 | United States | 720.35 |
| 4 | Mexico | 711.53 |
| 5 | Ecuador | 710.82 |
| 6 | Paraguay | 703.93 |
| 7 | Panama | 656.30 |
| 8 | Peru | 643.41 |
| 9 | Honduras | 617.59 |
| 10 | El Salvador | 608.74 |
| 11 | Guatemala | 583.67 |
| 12 | Argentina | 559.41 |
| 13 | Bolivia | 519.32 |
| 14 | Belize | 505.69 |
| 15 | Jamaica | 495.20 |
| 16 | Costa Rica | 383.82 |
| 17 | Brazil | 340.01 |
The Dominican Republic’s winning margin over Colombia was only 4.88 points, which makes the accomplishment even more impressive.
Colombia has traditionally been one of the strongest forces in this competition. The Dominican team therefore was not merely racing against 16 countries, it was competing against nations with long-established special operations capabilities and considerable experience in this arena.
And it came out on top.
The published final standings put the Dominican Republic at 753.77 points, followed by Colombia at 748.89 and the United States at 720.35.
Why the Victory Matters
For the Dominican Republic, the importance of this victory goes far beyond a number on a scoreboard.
The Dominican government described the achievement as the first time the country had captured the top position in Fuerza Comando, calling it a historic milestone for the nation’s armed forces.
The result also provides a public measure of the country’s investment in military training, professionalism and modernization.
The Dominican team had to demonstrate a combination of physical endurance, technical ability, tactical judgment, leadership, coordination and mental toughness.
That last part is important.
Elite military competitions are rarely won simply by having the strongest person in the room.
They are won by teams that can continue functioning when people are exhausted, when pressure is high and when a mistake can cost valuable points.
In other words, muscles get you to the starting line.
Discipline gets you through the competition.
The Events Were Designed to Push Teams to the Limit
The 2026 schedule gives a pretty good idea of what the competitors were up against.
The competition began with a physical fitness test.
Then came pistol and rifle stress courses, precision shooting and observation exercises, a combined sniper and assaulter event and a 7.5-mile ruck.
The following day brought more shooting and observation challenges, along with a team close-quarters battle shoot-house assessment.
The competition concluded with a two-mile team challenge course and the senior leadership seminar’s range event.
The events required competitors to balance speed with precision.
That is a nasty combination.
Running fast is one thing.
Running fast while exhausted and then being expected to perform a highly technical task with precision is something else entirely.
And because many events were team based, individual talent alone was not enough.
Communication mattered.
Trust mattered.
Leadership mattered.
One person having a great day could not carry an entire team across the finish line.
A New Chapter for Dominican Special Operations
The victory also arrives at an interesting moment for the Dominican Republic’s armed forces.
Dominican officials have emphasized continuing efforts to improve training, professionalization and modernization of military capabilities. Defense Minister Lieutenant General Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre credited the soldiers, instructors and trainers whose preparation helped produce the historic result.
That distinction matters because victories like this are rarely created during the competition itself.
The real work happens months and years beforehand.
It happens during repetitive training sessions when nobody is watching.
It happens when soldiers are asked to repeat a skill until it becomes second nature.
It happens through physical conditioning, tactical preparation, teamwork and the ability to perform under pressure.
By the time the Dominican team arrived in Paraguay, the competition was essentially the final exam.
The studying had already been done.
From Challenger to Champion
Perhaps the most fascinating part of the Dominican victory is what it says about the country’s changing place within regional military cooperation.
For years, Fuerza Comando has provided a platform where established special operations forces can compete and exchange knowledge.
The Dominican Republic has participated before, but 2026 changed the storyline.
This time, the Dominican flag was at the top of the standings.
And there is something particularly satisfying about an underdog story when the underdog does not merely surprise everyone, but beats two of the biggest names in the competition.
Colombia finished second.
The United States finished third.
Mexico, Ecuador and host nation Paraguay rounded out the top six.
The Dominican Republic finished above all of them.
More Than a Trophy
Fuerza Comando was never designed simply as a contest to determine who has the toughest soldiers.
The larger mission is cooperation.
According to the event organizers, the competition is intended to strengthen relationships between military forces, improve interoperability and allow participating nations to exchange training knowledge and experience.
That makes the Dominican victory significant in two different ways.
First, it demonstrates that Dominican special operations personnel can compete at an extremely high level against some of the region’s most experienced forces.
Second, it puts the Dominican Republic in an even stronger position to participate in future multinational training and cooperation.
The trophy may sit on a shelf, but the relationships built during the competition can have a much longer life.
The Dominican Moment
There is also a cultural element to this story that should not be overlooked.
Dominicans are famous for bringing pride, passion and a healthy amount of competitive fire to everything from baseball diamonds to boxing rings.
Now, apparently, that competitive spirit has found another arena.
The difference this time is that there were no bats, home runs or ninth-inning rallies.
There were rucks, precision exercises, tactical challenges and enough physical punishment to make an ordinary gym workout look like a spa treatment.
The Dominican team handled it.
And when the final numbers were calculated, the result was clear:
753.77 points.
First place.
Seventeen nations.
One historic Dominican victory.
For a country that had never previously won Fuerza Comando, the 2026 championship represents much more than a medal.
It is a statement.
The Dominican Republic has arrived at the top of one of the Western Hemisphere’s premier special operations competitions.
And after 20 editions, it finally has its name written in the winner’s column.
Not bad for a country that went to Paraguay looking to compete and came home as champion.
