The motto of 20th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery is 'Seek to Strike'.
These three simple words reflect an increasingly complex role for the Army's only artillery surveillance and target acquisition unit.
In recent months, the regiment has undergone major operational changes following the introduction of the Integrator tactical uncrewed aerial system (TUAS).
Among those helping embed the new aircraft is seasoned artillery officer Captain Fletcher Unwin.
Originally from England, the 132nd Battery captain joined the British Army aged 16, serving for 24 years, including multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Captain Unwin said it all began with a flyer at his local recruiting office.
"The careers officer asked me what job I wanted to do in the Army," Captain Unwin said.
"I pointed at a poster of a L118 light gun firing, and he said, 'It's the artillery for you then'.
"I started off at 26th Regiment on the gun line and then went to 32 Regiment with the [unmanned aerial vehicles] UAVs.
"I did gunner to warrant officer class one in the British Army, then commissioned."
Seeking a new adventure and better weather, he moved to Australia with his wife and three daughters in a lateral transfer two years ago.
"I was very lucky to come straight to Brisbane. It feels like home now," he said.
'From new self-propelled guns to new uncrewed aerial systems, new deep strike platforms and everything that's going on in the targeting space, there's a lot of investment going into artillery.'
Captain Unwin travelled to Townsville with 132nd Battery to support 3rd Brigade in Exercise North Queensland Warfighter recently, a multinational integration activity, where the drone operators worked alongside soldiers from half a dozen different countries for three weeks.
He said the exercise provided the battery's gunners and bombardiers the chance to test new skills.
"It was a good opportunity to do a few things for the first time, like attach an Australian ground control station operating Integrator to a United States Marine Corps battery," he said.
"The feedback that we've received from the brigades we've supported so far is that it [Integrator] is a valuable asset."
The 20th Regiment recently officially re-raised 133rd Battery, a testament to the unit's expanding role.
Captain Unwin suggests that growth will continue in order to keep pace with developing technologies, especially around drone warfare.
"From new self-propelled guns to new uncrewed aerial systems, new deep strike platforms and everything that's going on in the targeting space, there's a lot of investment going into artillery," he said.
That investment includes a concerted campaign to recruit more drone operators to the unit.
