RAA Liaison Letter – 2025 / 2026 Edition 57 School of Artillery 2025 was a big year for both the School and the Gunners – Defence Force Recruiting delivered mass, and the Instructors across the Wings trained soldiers in numbers which filled Batteries across Army. Efforts to enhance and streamline courses in 2024 paid dividends as we put through the largest course panels in some time. Units reaped the benefits as ACSOs, Air Defenders and Gunners marched out at scale – most impressive was Joint Fire Wing holding a march out parade in November for an entire Regiment’s worth of trainees! The School supported Ex Talisman Sabre during July with teams and individuals supporting every live fire event. Of note, the Director of Practice responsibilities for the Northern Territory saw staff demonstrating all facets of Operational Fires and Targeting. Overseeing SM-6 firing from the US Army’s Typhon Launcher, Harpoon Block II from the Canadian Frigate HMCS Ville de Québec, AMRAAM from 16 Regt’s NASAMS, SM-2 from the United States Cruiser, USS-Robert Smalls and PrSM from 54 Siege Battery, we had the privilege to report all missiles were on time, on target & safe. Another seminal milestone was the commencement of AS-9 Huntsman training at the School, with NETT attaining instructor qualifications, and preparing to train 4th Regiment in 2026. The CO/CI described his great satisfaction as a detachment from SOArty & 4th Regiment staff fired onto Whitelaw’s Hill, on a trace drawn by IG NETT (CAPT Dominic Lloyd), OIC’d by a JFW IG, based on new doctrine written by IG NETT. ‘Much has been achieved in 2025 by the School of Artillery, as the stories from the Battery, Wings, JTAC Troop and NETT detail. 53 Battery A compressed start to the year left little time from Christmas leave for the Southern Gunners to shakeout. The first item of business was determining our new Southern Warrior – a title quickly claimed by GNR Thomas Ashley who dominated the competition from the outset. The Southern Warrior is crowned! Gunner Thomas Ashley Exercise Southern Run encountered scorching summer temperatures that forced the program into a two-day blitz. The culminating fireplan saw 250 rounds fired in a sixty-minute schedule – keeping range control busy into the night dealing with calls from concerned locals. With an increasingly fast drumbeat of courses, 53 Bty took every opportunity to get away from the ‘Pucka grind’ and focus on our culture. The best way to do this was through a series of ‘good army days’. In April, we capitulated the School’s transport fleet and drove across empty plains to Adelaide to compete in the inaugural Southern Showdown. In what was originally pitched as a 53 v 54 Bty grudge match, someone (turns out the Brigade Commander) invited 16 Regiment. Having five times the manpower turned out to be a reasonable advantage. That being said kicking 1.11 on the AFL field didn’t help our cause either. The important thing is that we beat ‘Siege’ Battery. Around the Regiment
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjE4NTMz