Canadian Armed Forces Small Arms Concentration a Success

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Sept. 21, 2013) - The Canadian Armed Forces Small Arms Concentration, held annually at the Connaught Ranges and Primary Training Centre in Ottawa, concluded today with the awarding of the Queen's Medal for Champion Shot. Competitors this year comprised small arms teams from the Canadian Armed Forces Regular and Reserve Forces, the Ranger Patrol Groups, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as teams from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States.

"It is a great honour to award the Queen's Medal to two of the Canadian Armed Forces' top marksmen," said Lieutenant-General Guy Thibault, Vice Chief of the Defence Staff. "I congratulate all competitors that put their training to the test at this challenging competition. I am confident that your skills have improved and you have advanced knowledge and experiences to take home with you and pass on to future competitors."

The Queen's Medal is the most prestigious award for Champion shot in Canada and is presented to the top marksman in the Canadian Armed Forces Regular Forces and Canadian Armed Forces Primary Reserve with the highest aggregate score in the Queen's Medal Competition. Captain Ken Barling currently posted to North American Aerospace Defence Command in Colorado Springs, was awarded the Queen's Medal for Regular Force top marksmen and Corporal Edward Ferguson of 1^st Battalion The Nova Scotia Highlanders in Nova Scotia, was awarded the Queen's Medal for Primary Reserve top marksman.

"The Canadian Army is committed to creating and sustaining well-trained, well-equipped, and well-led units to meet a diversity of challenges in any environment around the world," said Lieutenant-General Marquis Hainse, Commander of the Canadian Army. "Competing against our partners from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States has allowed the Canadian Armed Forces to learn best practices from our international counterparts."

The Canadian Armed Forces Small Arms Concentration tested the core soldier skills of combat fitness and marksmanship. Competition matches focused on the service pistol, service rifle, and light machine gun. The competitive shooting matches encouraged all competitors to improve their skills.

Small arms proficiency is a fundamental skill for Canadian Armed Forces members. The Canadian Armed Forces Small Arms Concentration allows the Canadian Armed Forces and competing countries the opportunity to recognize service personnel for their hard work and dedication to improving their marksmanship skills.

Notes to editor / news director:

Photos from CAFSAC can be found on the following FLICKR site:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lfca_multimedia/

For more information:

Capt Carrie Pluck, 416-629-8277, carrie.pluck@forces.gc.ca