RAA Liaison Letter – 2025 / 2026 Edition 70 DIVARTY competitors, support staff, coaches and mentors came to realise we had made some lifelong friendships and established excellent networks along the way. The US Army members shared with us some of their awesome traditions including, once again, The Genesis of the Field Artillery, the Artillery Punch, and the induction of key personnel and staff into The Order of St. Barbara. Once again, the evening felt like a gathering of friends and genuine connection and respect amongst our two nations. Gunners shared stories, experiences, talked shop about techniques, tactics, workflows and what the future may hold. The last couple of days consisted of welldeserved rest and recovery for the Australian contingent. This included two days on Oahu Island, where members surfed the world-famous Waikiki beach, explored the area including the North Shore, two members even completed the Honolulu Half Marathon (LT Long and GNR Mulcaster). Further, a trip to the Pearl Harbour museum was a highlight, and a stern reminder of how vital security is in the Indo-Pacific region. One thing is certain, Exercise Best by Test 2025 was, again, a resounding success. Not only for the Aussie teams who competed and displayed outstanding performance, but a success for IndoPacific relationship building, geostrategic messaging, interoperability and ultimately for establishing the connections we will one day undoubtedly rely upon to keep our region safe. Exercise Alon 2025 LT Sarah Fitzpatrick – JFT Comd, 104 Bty Exercise Alon 25: Artillery at the Heart of Multi-Domain Success Exercise Alon, a bilateral engagement between Australia and the Philippines, began in 2023 under the ADF’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour initiative. Initially focused on amphibious operations, by 2025 it had evolved into a complex, multi-domain exercise showcasing the ADF’s ability to project combat power across the region. At the centre of this success was the outstanding performance of Australian artillery. The 2025 iteration featured major manoeuvres, including the littoral insertion of 2 RAR into Palawan and a Tactical Air Land Operation (TALO) deploying Battlegroup Ram (BG Ram) into Luzon. But the defining achievement was the deployment and live firing of Australian M777A2 155mm howitzers from 102 Battery, 8/12 Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (RAA)—the first time in over 50 years that Australian guns fired live rounds overseas. This was no small feat. The logistical and technical effort to prepare, deploy, and integrate Australian artillery under RAA Range Safety
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