RAA Liaison Letter 2024 - 2025 Edition

RAA Liaison Letter 2024 / 2025 Edition 1 Letters to the Editor Re-Organisation Confusion I see in the latest issue of ‘Airburst’ that 103 Battery is set to be disbanded. This information comes as a passing reference based on information seemingly known to the RAAHC. No mention is made of any reasoning leading to the decision, or of the ‘politics.’ Are you able to add the back-story? Kind Regards, [Brigadier] Iain Macinnis AO (Retd) Editor. First the good news from your perspective 103 Battery is not being disbanded and continues as part of 8/12 Regiment. The bad news is that 101 Battery will not be disbanded but placed in suspended animation and it’s manning used to support the establishment of the 14th Regiment, RAA in the recently established 10th Brigade. Museum May I ask why the Museum was not contacted prior to the [Liaison] letter and your comments were published? The Museum has been in storage since June 2011 (13 yrs) not over twenty. The small display at the Tank Museum was not earth shattering, with the limitations in both availability of a suitable facility, money and manpower and the desire to have something for the gunners the best was done at the time. You would have also found out the Armoured Artillery Museum is undergoing a transformation, with new facilities, upgrade to the indoor display area as well as upgrading the large object display areas ($1.5 mil). Agree it is not what we were hoping for with a $44 mil museum, that was after COVID and price rises in real terms down to about 20 mil with most of the good stuff gone, including storage. A disappointed but positive spin would have been nice, with comments based on fact. Is it possible to have an article in the next edition? Mr Peter Armstrong, Curator Artillery Editor. Without wishing to prolong a debate, prior to every edition I distribute a request seeking contributions. In addition, on the contents page of each edition there is a request for contributions and a due date. I will include a report in this edition. Profession of Arms In your piece in the most recent Liaison Letter, you discuss the imperative for us to get to grips with the concepts of 'military professionalism' and 'the profession of arms'. I have long shared your frustration with progress in this regard. More than a decade ago, when I was still a Visiting Fellow at the Defence College, I was invited by the US Army to participate in its examination and development of the concept of ‘military professionalism’. I attended two workshops in the States, at its expense, and was deeply impressed by how seriously and thoroughly it was taking the topic. The measure of how seriously it was being taken was that the introductory workshop was attended by a raft of generals, including the US Army Chief of Staff, and facilitated by uniformed personnel who were very well-qualified both academically and operationally. On my return, after some delay, and following a little nudging on my part, I was finally invited to meet a LTCOL (or he might have been a COL) at Army Headquarters. It was plain that he had difficulty in taking me seriously, and it was probably also just as plain that I was flabbergasted by his indifference. I never heard anything further about it. It would be great if we could rev something up, but I wouldn't be holding my breath. Nick Jans Editor. It is interesting to observe the rapidly changing focus of the US Department of Defence since the Presidential election in the USA . 75 Years of Continuous Publication What a great milestone for the Royal Regiment. Sincere congratulations to past and present editors and publishing staff. Ubique Darryl Kelly Editor. Many thanks, I pray the Liaison Letter continues to be published for another 75 years. Reader Feedback A well-presented and informative Liaison Letter, I have enjoyed receiving them over the years. Alas I no longer agree with much of the philosophy, and I agree we have no longer a generation who have provided close support to the Infantry. Anyone who considers a 155 mm a close support weapon has never really needed that support.