A day at the COTEC Range on the Close Combat Symposium’s range day allows soldiers and industry professionals to try different small arms and optical devices. There are lots of interesting items at the event, as in this photo showing HK’s 7.62 rifle being test-fired.
There are two smaller arms conferences in the West that we consider to be the most important in the world for serious members of the small arms community to attend: the NDIA Small Arms Symposium (now called Future Force Capabilities, and tied-in with Fuze and Demil) held every September in the U.S., and what was the Small Arms and Cannon Symposium and is now the Close Combat Symposium at Shrivenham, held every July in the U.K. While there are many excellent, larger trade shows that have some educational aspects to them, these two conferences stand out as events that encourage dialogue between the shakers and movers in the small arms industry. There are differences between the two events, and how they are focused. NDIA is the larger of the two and has been expanded in scope quite a bit beyond Small Arms, but the sister event at Shrivenham has a very intimate quality that keeps it popular with attendees, and important to the community.
The Defence Academy of the United Kingdom sponsors many defense related scholarly events every year. The Symposia at Shrivenham had its 22nd annual Small Arms event in July 2023. The normal schedule was followed: two days of short lectures on various subjects interspersed with breaks taken in the trade show exhibit area to share coffee, snacks, lunch, and tea with the exhibitors. The middle day, Wednesday, is at the COTEC range for live fire demonstrations by exhibitors. This is hands-on time for the attendees and is quite popular. This format has worked quite well in the past allowing breaks from the lectures and close interaction with the exhibitors.
There were quite a few interesting items of note from the first presentation alone. The Symposium is under Chatham House Rules, meaning we can discuss what we learned, but not who from. First, we were informed that, contrary to industry scuttlebutt, the British military will be staying with the 5.56x45mm cartridge until after 2036. You could hear a pin drop in the room after that. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that the Royal Marines, along with the British Army’s Rangers, recently selected the KAC KS-1 as the L403A1 Alternative Individual Weapon. The order is on the magnitude of 10,000 rifles and accessories in the first order. It’s expected that there may be a sea change from the SA80A2 system to the L403A1, which is a 5.56mm AR variant. That could be about 370,000 systems.
Other Presentations:
Capt. William Shepherd USN (Ret.) “Going out of the Box: Geeks Developing Unusual Prototypes for Small Military Units” (We have permission to quote him). Capt. Shepherd was variously a U.S. Navy SEAL, astronaut, commander of the first International Space Station, USSOCOM’s first science officer, and an engineer, as well as a life-long teacher. His program at present is to inspire young engineering students to solve small unit problems. He’s having a lot of success and is quite inspirational.
Garry Leach from Maxord Systems presented the FLY-K, a “silent” grenade/mortar launching system.
There are too many other presentations from U.K. and other military, contractors, manufacturers, and researchers for us to list in this space. Suffice it to say, it’s quite an interesting and well-attended event.
The show itself had about 30 display groups, including Small Arms Defense Journal (We are the liaison between NDIA and Shrivenham, and I present a weapons threat evaluation every year.) Of note, Edgar Brothers, Viking Arms, Law Enforcement International, Pelican, FNH UK, HK UK, and many others were on hand to display and meet with U.K. and other military decision makers.
Close Combat Symposium Show Master Information
Next Show Dates July 2-4, 2024
Location The Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Cranfield University, Shrivenham, U.K. This is to the west of London, the M4 motorway and easily accessible from the main London airports. The nearest large town to Shrivenham is Swindon.
Contact:
Lynn Anderson, Symposia Organizer
Symposia at Shrivenham
Cranfield University
Defence Academy of the United Kingdom
Shrivenham, Wiltshire SN6 8LA
Tel: +44 1793 785 648
Fax: +44 1793 785 325
Email: Lynn@symposiaatshrivenham.com
URL: www.cranfield.ac.uk/events/symposia/cc2
Focus This symposium is a special show with numerous papers being presented, a smaller trade show (30 vendors) that is comfortable for attendees to mix with the vendors, and a live fire at the COTEC range.
Dress Business informal, meaning jacket and tie, or business casual, depending on how you desire to present your company. Military are in duty attire. For the formal Regimental Dinner, the baseline for men is dark suit with tie, and for ladies, comfortable evening wear (no jeans or tee-shirts in either case). Mrs. Lynn Anderson and staff are on hand to help with your concerns.
Hotel Hints Local hotels are listed with the Symposia information package. Most vendors choose hotels in Swindon or out on the M4 Motorway area. There is U.K. military billeting for those who are eligible.
Power & Plug Types 220v 50-cycle, British 3-prong plugs
Country Warnings The Swindon/Shrivenham areas are largely rural with the historic city of Oxford located to the north. The only warnings would be in certain parts of London or other major cities. The conference is in a rural area that is very safe.
Cultural Hints The British are generally very polite, and the formal dinner is not to be missed by any who wish to experience a ceremony that is rarely seen by outsiders. There are protocols to be studied before attending, from how to “pass the Port” to what to wear, on to dinner conversation. A good guide to behavior in these types of situations is offered here. The 1850’s era “Guideline for a Regimental Dinner”, encourages “Abstainers” to toast the Monarch with water in their port glass. At times, you will see the following after someone’s name; OBE or MBE meaning “Officer of the Order of the British Empire” and “Member of the Order of the British Empire”, respectively. These are prestigious honorifics in British society, showing appreciation for service to the British Empire. These are not “knighthoods”, which would have other indicators.
Tipping 10% is generally fine in sit-down-to-order restaurants, less for a taxi. Taxis are either meter fare or “pre-booked” at an agreed price.
Getting Around Rental cars will have U.K.-style right-hand steering, and driving is on the left side of the road. Unless you know how to drive with a left-hand shift, order an automatic. We advise finding the first parking lot in sight after getting your rental car and learning the reverse geometry if you are a Euro or U.S. driver. Road roundabouts are common and do not pose a problem, always give way to the right, unless the road markings advise otherwise. Trains are reliable, however, ticket purchases made on the day of travel can be extortionately expensive, pre-booking is strongly advised. A good guide for the latter is at www.nationalrail.co.uk. Bus travel is both simple and inexpensive. If driving, the show is near Heathrow airport. Travel due west on the M4 motorway to the Swindon exit and look for signage to Shrivenham. For rail travel from Heathrow or Gatwick airports, take direct train service to Swindon.
Military Museums The Defence Academy Small Arms teaching collection may be visited by qualified visitors. Inquire with the promoters. In London, the Imperial War Museum and National Army Museum in central London are worth a visit. The Fort Nelson Artillery Museum is in Portsmouth to the south of Swindon, and the Royal Armouries are located in the north of England in Leeds, the latter houses the former Pattern Room collection of small arms and light infantry weapons.
Tourism Shrivenham is located within reasonable driving distances of the university town of Oxford, the Neolithic monument at Stonehenge, and Shakespeare’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon. Try the following websites if planning a pre- or post-Symposia cultural visit: www.visitbritain.com or www.visitlondon.com.
Speaking of tourism, frequently, the Capel Military Show occurs the weekend before the Close Combat Symposium. It’s south of London, not too far from the show. It can be a great adventure for history buffs. This year, it’s the weekend after the Symposium on the 6th and 7th of July. As shown in the two pictures, there are a lot of interesting firearms, tanks, vehicles, and reenactors at the show. More information: www.capelmilitaryshow.com
