RAA Liaison Letter 2024 - 2025 Edition

RAA Liaison Letter – 2024 / 2025 Edition 69 16th Regiment RAA Lieutenant Colonel James Floyd Commanding Officer 16 Regt, RAA has had an eventful 2024 with the continued introduction NASAMS into service, transition to 10 Brigade and continued support developing the wider ADF Integrated Air and Missile Defence structure and capability both on exercise and continued development of the Air Defence Artillery Fire Control Officer (ADAFCO) capability. As of the Second of December 2024, it has also come under command 10 Brigade and has returned to it’s historical triangular colour patch (AKA, the ‘Dorito’). 2024 commenced with the Train the Trainer (TTT) tranche of NASAMS courses, conducted both at Woodside and at the Raytheon Centre for Joint Integration at Mawson Lakes. TTT was the first of three tranches for the year and qualified the instructors from 111 Bty to provide further instruction subsequent NASAMS courses for the rest of the year, qualifying a large proportion of the current ECN237 workforce in the new equipment. The Battery also provided trainers and the OIC of the Training Team task which saw the Regiment’s RBS-70s gifted to Ukraine along with instruction on their operation. 110 Bty, having completed its initial training, IOT&E and the first NASAMS LFX in 2023 was tasked in 2024 to continue to develop its NASAMS knowledge and work to integrate the system into the wider ADF Integrated Air and Missile Defence organisation. This saw 110 Bty deploy on Raptors Strike 24, with a small FE initially deploying to Woomera to conduct a technical activity prior to scaling up and deploying a Bty(-) to Bradshaw Field Training Area in Jun / Jul to participate in the RAAF’s major DIAMOND STORM Exercise. The Bty worked alongside the RAAF, CSS Bty and members of Ops Spt Bty’s ADAFCOs in the Unit’s capstone FTX for 2024 as it demonstrated operational concepts by defending an airfield in the North of Australia against contemporary threats. As well as keeping the REGT functioning throughout 2024, OPS SPT BTY continued to develop the ADAFCO capability, while also significantly contributing to the ongoing development of the ADF’s IAMD planning capability, through participation in exercises like VITAL PROSPECT and VIRTUAL FLAG along with direct participation in the development of real-world Area Air Defence Plans in support of HQJOC. CSS Bty continued to provide support to the Regt, demonstration their ability to support concurrent activities, and arduous road moves to remote training areas. These tasks were achieved while the Battery concurrently trained its own limited technical workforce in the maintenance and sustainment of NASAMS equipment in addition to the on-again-off-again MILIS>ERP>MILIS changes that the whole of Army has shared the pleasure of. More generally, the Regiment recently received two large intakes of IETs late in the year, breaking a two-year period of little-to-no inflow. The Regiment warmly welcomes these new Gunners and looks forward to preparing them to directly contribute to Army’s achievement of National Defence Strategy outcomes. 2024 has been a year of progression for the Regiment continuing NASAMS introduction. As it heads into 2025, 16 REGT looks forward to finalising the IIS tranches of training while also further developing the Army and the wider