RAA Liaison Letter – 2025 / 2026 Edition 68 and represented Australia with professionalism and pride. Most importantly, Ex Bencat 25 reaffirmed the enduring partnership between the Australian and New Zealand Artillery communities. As both nations continue to train, operate, and evolve together, exercises like Talisman Sabre and Bencat ensure that our Gunners remain interoperable, capable, and connected, ready to defend our nations’ interests, our allies, and each other. Australian and New Zealand gunners from 1 Regt and 16 Fd Regt operating together in Waiouru. Tropic Lightning, Tropic Thunder – Exercise Best by Test 2025 Captain G van den Berg, Battery Captain, 104th Battery “…And the Lord created the Field Artillery, and named them the King of Battle...” Genesis of the Field Artillery Gunners from 104th and 105th Battery stood tall, proud and slightly confused, however staunch in agreeance, as the US Army 25th DIVARTY Padre officially opened Exercise Best by Test 2025 with these heart-stirring words. Exercise Best by Test is an artillery specific military skills competition hosted by the US Army’s 25th DIVARTY. The competition is a physically arduous, mentally challenging activity and is designed to identify the best artillery teams in the Indo-Pacific Region. Not to mention the international relationship building and interoperability development between the ADF and US Army. 2025 marked the third time the RAA has competed in the competition, with 104th Battery entering Alpha Detachment as the gunline team, the 104th Battery ACSOs as the CP/FDC team, and a combined 104th and 105th Battery Joint Fires Team to compete against the US Fire Support Teams (FiSTs). Arriving on a picture-perfect, blue-sky day at Honolulu International Airport, the Australian contingent of competitors were welcomed by the Advance Party with big smiles and traditional Hawaiian flower leis… not a bad way to start a work trip. Wide-eyed and excited for what was to come, the teams arrived at Schofield Barracks on Hawaii’s Oahu Island and were shown to their accommodation. What followed was a week of orientation and integration training and activities with our US counterparts to get our bearings amongst the jungle obstacle courses, multiple gyms, running tracks, M4s, AH-64 Black Hawks and CH-47 Chinook helicopters, and, of course, a delicious ‘welcome BBQ’ cook-up with 25th DIVARTY HQ followed by an obligatory extralarge hotdog at a University of Hawaii Baseball home game (Go Rainbow Warriors!). Competition kicked off in the early hours of 01 April with the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), consisting of a 3RM hex-bar deadlift, standing dead-ball power throw, maximum hand-release push-ups in two minutes, a sprintdrag-carry, plank for time and a two-mile run. The Australians performed to an excellent standard and showed the US teams early in the competition that we were there to win. The following days consisted of a bullring of allcorps competitions including an urban TCCC lane, ‘The Green Mile’ jungle mud run, an obstacle course with some questionable OH&S, the Incline Skills Trainer (IST), a navigation competition and a pristine beach PT race. All while pack marching between stands in the blistering Hawaiian heat. Again, our teams proved their mettle and performed to the highest standards, giving the competition a real run for their money.
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