RAA Liaison Letter – 2025 / 2026 Edition 82 A HIMARS launcher at ADFA Open Day 2025. Displaying the capability in a public forum provided a unique training opportunity for Gunners to not only ‘sell’ an exciting system, but also to demonstrate the pride they take in maintaining and utilising a world-class long range fires platform. Avalon Air Show 2025 similarly provided stakeholders, members of the Australian Government and Defence Industry with greater understanding from subject matter experts in regard to the Army’s ability to defend the nation during a time of exponential growth in weapon ranges, lethality, and speed. Supporting Across Army In 2025, 14 Regiment quickly adopted the RAA’s time honoured tradition of having the unit’s ACSOs be the busiest people within the unit. Alongside their primary function of running the BCP and managing associated Lieutenants, our units ACSOs supported and developed with the 1 (AS) Div JFECC, 10 Brigade’s LECC and the AAF’s SACC to become essential cogs within the realisation of the operational employment of HIMARS. This often saw them deploy at short notice across Australia (and beyond) and their conduct on all activities is a testament to their skill and professionalism. Without the technical acumen and adaptability of 54 Siege Battery’s ACSOs, the unit’s shiny new toys would be expensive garden guns and not the weapons of war that we know them to be. Exercise Verbranden Road Verbranden Road was the first collective training event conducted by the unit in 2025. Named after an original 54 Siege Battery firing position in World War 1, Verbranden Road proved the HIMARS ability to adapt and rapidly mobilise for potential employment on both domestic and overseas operations. 54 Siege Battery focusses on the tactical employment of HIMARS within Australian terrain Contested against a motivated 9 Regiment, RAA JxT as enemy party, the exercise allowed the unit to refine the Tactics, Techniques and Procedures of HIMARS and RSVs for the Australian context. This challenged gunners and officers alike to develop creative solutions against contemporary threats. Looking to both our US and British counterparts as starting points, 54 Siege Battery considered courses of action against Unmanned Aerial Systems, cyber threats and the fleeting nature of dynamic targets for the delivery of Divisional and operational fires. A HIMARS demonstrating use of local camouflage and concealment Our place in the RAA Integration within the RAA has been paramount to the creation of the Unit’s identity and solidification of its culture. Events, including Southern Showdown sports competition with 53 Battery and the 16th Regiment, were great
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