page_title: 8th/12th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery
section_title: Post Vietnam
hierarchical_section_title: 8th/12th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery / History / Post Vietnam
caption_attribution_description: English: ID: DMSD0210189 Service Depicted: Multi-National 010526M6664H002 Operation / Series: TANDEM THRUST 2001 The AustralianAn Armys 101 Medium Battery 8/12 Medium Regiment, M98 Howitzer send rounds down range during a live fire exercise in the Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area during Exercise TANDEM THRUST 2001. TANDEM THRUST is a combined United States and AUSTRALIAn military training exercise. This biannual exercise is being held in the vicinity of Shoalwater Bay training area, Queensland, AUSTRALIA. More than 27,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines are participating, with Canadian units taking part as opposing forces. The purpose of TANDEM THRUST is to train for crisis action planning and execution of contingency response operations. Location: SHOALWATER BAY, QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA (AUS) Camera Operator: LCPL MARCUS D HENRY, USMC Date Shot: 26 May 2001
context_page_description: The 8th/12th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, was formed at the Holsworthy Barracks on 16 November 1973 through the amalgamation of the 8th Medium Regiment and the 12th Field Regiment. The Regiment provides field artillery support to the 1st Brigade based in Darwin. It is currently equipped with 155mm M777 Howitzers.
  The 8th Medium Regiment, known in the 1950s as the 19th Composite Regiment, was created in February 1968 to provide a united administrative command of several independent artillery units in the Holsworthy Barracks area and had the primary role of providing support to the School of Artillery. The 12th Field Regiment had been reformed at Holsworthy in April 1966, and its elements served in Vietnam in 1968 and 1971. Before relocating to Darwin, the regiment was stationed in Townsville and Ingleburn.
  The three of the regiments current Gun batteries reflect their formation in Egypt as part of the First Australian Imperial Force 21st Field Artillery Brigade, which used 4.5-inch howitzers. The 101 and 103 Batteries, including the 102 Battery, served in France, also as part of the 1st Division.
context_section_description: The Regiment was a creation of the reorganisation of the Australian Army as a result of the Vietnam War experience. During the mid-1970s, the 8th/12th Medium Regiment included:
  Headquarters Battery
  "A" Field Battery
  103 Medium Battery
  102 Field Battery (disbanded in 1987)
  131 Divisional Locating Battery
  Light Aid Detachment (LAD) staffed by RAEME
  While the regiment was responsible for providing direct support to the 1st Task Force, the 103rd Battery also served in the role of depot support for the School of Artillery. Consequently, it was issued with six M2A2 105 mm guns as well as six 5.5-inch (140 mm) guns.
  As part of the 1980s restructuring, the 131st Divisional Locating Battery became an independent battery for divisional assignment at Enoggera Army Camp in Brisbane. The 102nd Field Battery was redesignated as the 102nd Medium Battery, and then disbanded in 1987. As a result of this downsizing, the Headquarters Battery was reduced in size in 1994.
  During 1996, the 101st Field Battery was removed from the 1st Field Regiment and embedded as a Fire Support Company in the 6 RAR, which adopted the A 21 Motorised Battalion structure that included supporting arms under the Restructuring of the Army (RTA) initiatives trial.
  After the deployment to East Timor, "A" Field Battery was assigned to the 4th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery in 1999, further reducing the Regiment in size. During 1999, the 8th/12th Medium Regiment was relocated to Robertson Barracks in Darwin. While preparing for the move from Sydney to Darwin, the 103rd Medium Battery deployed its elements to East Timor as part of the INTERFET, and later as a part of a UN Peace Keeping Force OP TANAGER, and was later joined by the newly recreated 101st Medium Battery.
  In January 2011, the Australian Regular Army's field regiments were reorganised in preparation for re-equipment with new guns and battle management systems. Each regiment was to contain three observation post batteries, supported by a single gun battery equipped with 12 guns. As part of this reorganisation, the regiments were renamed, with the words "field" or "medium" removed from their title. Under the new structure, each regiment is capable of providing a brigade-level Joint Fires and Effects Coordination Centre (JFECC) and every observation post battery provides a battle group JFECC as well as three combat team joint fires teams (JFT). Every gun battery now comprises three troops of 155 mm towed howitzers.
  In 2011, the 102nd Coral Battery was re-raised at RAAF Base Edinburgh. In 2008, the Governor-General had awarded the 102nd Field Battery with the Honour Title 'Coral’ in recognition of conduct during the Battle of Coral in the Vietnam War. The 115th Battery was also raised in 2011 in theatre with Mentoring Task Force 2 in Afghanistan.
  Under the Land 17 project, in 2012, the 8th/12th Regiment received the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS), which is a fully automated digital battle-management system. It will also take delivery of the Digital Terminal Control System for observation post batteries. The regiment is currently based at Ypres Lines, Robertson Barracks, Palmerston; however, the 102nd battery is based at the Royal Australian Air Force base, Edinburgh. The gun troops are currently equipped with M777 LWH.
  In January 2014, the 102nd Coral Battery relocated from RAAF Base Edinburgh to Robertson Barracks.
caption: M198 of 101 Medium Battery, 8/12 Medium Regiment in 2001.
exif: {}