RAA Liaison Letter – 2025 / 2026 Edition 85 capability was integrated into the exercise was extremely rewarding for the contingent. The exercise was successful in meeting its objectives and served in part as reconnaissance for Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 during which the Battery would return to Tindal in force. Exercise Raptor’s Strike 25 Exercise Raptor’s Strike 25 took place in Cultana in mid-May and represented several firsts. It was the Regiment’s first ever Battery sized NASAMS deployment, with CONROD 1 comprised of elements of all four 16 Regiment batteries. On a more personal note, for many soldiers this exercise represented their first time deploying their NASAMS missions system beyond the Regiments parade ground after an 18-month long phase focused on IIS courses and training. This exercise focused deliberately on Detachment and Troop level training, redeployments, and overcoming the many and varied technical faults and practical challenges that deploying a system of this complexity and on this scale presented. Concurrently, data capture occurred in support of informing and developing FOT&E trail plans, with FOT&E itself rapidly approaching. On completion of the exercise the Battery barely had time to wipe off the Cultana dust prior to entering in battle preparation for Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025. Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 For 110 Battery, Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 saw the convergence of multiple lines of effort at Tindal Airbase. Once again deploying at Battery scale (this time across a distance of >2700km), the team’s capacity to safely and efficiently deploy a fleet of mostly bespoke, oversized / over-mass, and often sensitive vehicles through the heart of Australian was certainly tested. The exercise saw CONROD 1 deployed in defence of Tindal Air Base, with 111 Battery and CSS Battery elements detaching to CONROD 2 at times in order to attack their own standalone tasks. At long last, L19Ph7B FOT&E began, observing and compiling data on the current state of the NASAMS capability across a wide scope of functions. Concurrently, CONROD 1 integrated with ground forces on base (RAAF SECFOR as well as JTF629 and 9 Regiment elements supporting local security operations) and with the Integrated Air and Missile Defence System, fighting the air-battle alongside our RAAF counterparts. For CONROD 1 this exercise provided excellent and realistic exposure to one of the several possible concepts for SRGBAD employment in contemporary conflict. With FOT&E largely complete and the report pending, the safe return to Woodside Barracks marked the end of a hightempo start to 2025 and signalled a pivot towards the ongoing gap-training and upcoming relocation of the unit to the Edinburgh Defence Precinct in Q4 2025. 110 Battery’s many successes throughout 2025 belong to the soldiers and junior officers who turned ambitious and often highly demanding intent into action in an environment rife with experimental communications networks, unique and often temperamental equipment, as well as a healthy dose of uncertainty, friction and chance. 111 Battery MAJ Tula Recinos, Battery Commander For the Battery, 2025 has been the culmination of a two year roadmap. The first part of which was seeing the Battery retire the RBS-70 based VSHORAD capability, forming the nucleus of the Australian Army Air Defence Training Team (AAADT) to train members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on deploying RBS-70 as part of a whole of government response. The Battery then began the task of Introduction Into Service training, firstly conducting Train the Trainer courses, to then convert the AMD workforce from RBS-70 based VSHORAD to the NASAMS SRGBAD capability. For 18 months 111 Battery conducted three tranches of IIS training before pivoting to raising D Troop to attach to CONROD 1 for their road to war in 2025. During this time, 111 Battery received 30 new soldiers predominantly through the Gap Year program. Out of this 30 pers, the Battery and the Unit has been able to retain approximately 22 soldiers, all of whom have greatly contributed to the success of the Battery. The success of the Battery through IIS training, conducting LFXs and successfully deploying as part of CONROD 1 has highlighted the positive culture growing in 111 Battery, primarily driven by the JNCOs and Junior Officers. The Battery’s ability to rapidly switch roles and tasks, paired with the resilience to overcome adversity and work through high-tempo periods along multiple lines of efforts has allowed the Battery to achieve all of its directed outcomes in 2025. On a personal note it has been a highlight to grow the Battery from a team comprised of 48 soldiers and officers, into a Battery that can consistently force generate a Troop and now has 98 officers and soldiers within the Battery. The positive
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