The pace of modern conflict means that in order to be successful on today's battlefield an army must constantly adapt its tactics and technology to match, or exceed, that of its adversary. The creation of an Artillery Light Gunner as part of the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery (RAA) is one such innovation.

An Artillery Light Gunner is part of a combat team responsible for setting up, siting and firing mortars in support of ground operations. This position requires both physical and mental toughness coupled with quick thinking and accuracy to ensure that the team is always at the right spot, at the right time, and on target. The rewards include not just the satisfaction of being part of a close knit team of professionals, but also the knowledge that applying your skills can directly influence the success that troops achieve in the field. There are not many jobs anywhere that can provide this.

As an Artillery Light Gunner you and your team will be trained to set up 81 millimetre mortars to fire a variety of ammunition types including air and ground burst high explosives, illumination and smoke in support of operations taking place up to 5 kilometres away. This means that most of the time you will be relying on information sent down from others so you will need to have a high degree of common sense, be able to translate instructions into action. You may also be required to operate independently in order to meet new situations as they arise.

Your training will thoroughly prepare you for this. You will learn all aspects of setting up, loading, firing and defending the mortar, ensuring you know inside out the weaponry used by your team. This means that you will need to be adaptable and disciplined, but the Army will train you from scratch, developing your teamwork, leadership and communications skills as you go.

Your duties:

The duties listed below are those that you could be expected to perform:

• Prepare the mortar for deployment
• Prepare and store ammunition
• Set up, load, and fire mortars
• Apply data to the sights to permit engagement of targets
• Assist in mortar servicing and maintenance
• Operate Radio, optical, laser designation, gunnery computation and GPS equipment
• Drive, service and maintain cross-country vehicles and
• General soldiering duties, such as manning defensive positions, patrolling, traffic control, camouflaging of vehicles and field equipment, and navigation.