16th Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery

16th Troop, Royal Australian Artillery
Active	1860 – present
Country	Australia
Allegiance	HM Elizabeth II, Captain-General of the RAA
Branch	Army
Type	Artillery
Role	Light Artillery
Size	1 Artillery Troop
Part of	10/27 RSAR
Garrison/HQ	Paterson Barracks and Keswick Barracks
Commanders
Current commander	MAJ Mick Gray, CSM (Battery Commander 6/13 Light Battery)
Ceremonial chief	HM Elizabeth II

The 16th Field Battery was an Australian Army Reserve unit based in Tasmania with depots at Paterson Barracks in Launceston and Derwent Barracks in Hobart until 2013, when it was reduced in size to a troop, and amalgamated with its Adelaide-based sister battery, 48 Field Battery, to form the 6th/13th Light Battery.^[1] The unit is the oldest artillery unit in the Australian Army, and the longest continually serving unit in Australia.

The troop traces its history to the Launceston Volunteer Artillery Corps, a volunteer formation raised by the citizens of Launceston on 6 June 1860 under the Tasmanian Colonial government. Following Federation it was handed over to the newly formed Commonwealth and became part of the Citizen's Military Force. Despite numerous increases, reductions and name changes over the years, the Launceston detachment has remained in operation continuously from its formation right through to the present day, and has inhabited the historically significant Paterson Barracks for that entire time.

As of 1 January 2013, 16 Troop, along with 48 Troop (based in Adelaide), together constitute the 6th/13th Light Battery, which, under the Australian Army's Plan Beersheba, is now a subunit of the 10th/27th Battalion, Royal South Australia Regiment. Despite being subordinate to an infantry regiment, the gunners of 16 Troop remain soldiers of the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery, and continue to wear the RAA hat badge and white lanyard. Like fellow Tasmanian unit 12/40th Battalion Royal Tasmania Regiment (12/40 RTR) it is part of the Adelaide-based 9 Brigade.

Like the rest of 9 Brigade, 16 Troop's force generation cycle is now aligned with that of the Australian Regular Army's 1st Brigade (based in Darwin).

In 2010, the then 16 Field Battery converted from the 105mm M2A2 to F2 81mm Mortars, and this weapon system was inherited by 6/13 Light Battery, which it employs to provide offensive support to 9 Brigade, and in support of 1 Brigade.

References