For future intakes, you will join the Army as a Combat Specialist and operate in a range of different environments. You will be introduced to the strategy and skills for combat, before branching into Gunner, Infantry or an Armoured soldier towards the end of basic training.

As a Gunner you will become a soldier within the Royal Regiment of the New Zealand Artillery (RNZA), a Corps with a long and proud history.

You will be part of the Unit that provides and directs a wide range of fire support for our Defence Force. In the Artillery you not only have the opportunity to operate the L119 Light Gun and L16 Mortar, our large calibre indirect fire weapons that support combat operations, but you could also direct fire support from helicopters, aircraft and naval vessels.

You will train in the combat and technical skills required to deliver direct and indirect fire, which we call ‘Offensive Support’. This means more than just firing artillery barrages to suppress a threat – it means protecting the force, coordinating military fire-power, gathering information, illuminating the battlefield, and identifying targets.

The L119 Light Gun is a sophisticated and complex weapon system. You could be a part of a highly skilled, tight-knit gun detachment consisting of seven personnel that can be transported a number of ways, including in the in service operational vehicle of a medium lift helicopter. The L16 Mortar is a lightweight man-portable weapon system, requiring you to operate in small teams under tactical conditions, either with a vehicle, on foot or infiltrated by helicopter.

Another stream within the Gunner trade you can take is the Command Systems Operator. This where you will be part of a team, who are located close to the weapon systems, receiving and predicting radio and digital target information using specialist equipment to compute the data. This information is then transmitted to the guns and mortars ensuring they provide accurate fire on the correct target at the correct time.

Alternatively, you can train within the Targeting stream. This stream of the Gunner trade operates in a small team environment of six personnel that are usually located with the forward most Infantry elements; finding, observing and directing artillery fire onto a target via radio and digital communication suites.