Award a surprise for bombardier

When Bombardier Adam Davies-Moore was given a counter-unmanned aerial system (CUAS) role at 16 Regiment, he recognised development was needed to keep up with the rapidly evolving modern battlespace.

CAPTION: Bombardier Adam Davies-Moore, from 16 Regiment, The Royal Australian Artillery has been awarded a Conspicuous Service Medal this Australia Day. Story by Corporal Michael Rogers.

“When my colleague and I took over the capability, it really sparked our interest, because it was something different and new,” he said.

“We just tried to keep it alive, because it’s a very unique capability and very relevant for this day and age, and it wasn’t getting the limelight it deserved.”

They developed training and standard operating procedures for 16 Regt, but transformed it to an all-corps package, as they believed other units needed to know how to combat UAS threats.

“The training is important because it’s the way the world is going; everything is becoming more unmanned, especially if you look at what’s happening in Ukraine – it’s like drone city over there,” Bombardier Davies-Moore said.

Along with delivering training, he was responsible for field-testing the equipment and SOPs as they were developed, to ensure they were practical and effective.

They would test either in a controlled range environment or on exercises where they would be told the enemy had drones and would respond to the threat.

He took over the CUAS role in 2019, and worked on the SOPs and training alongside his main role as an air defence operator until mid-2023, because of the introduction of new equipment and increased tempo in the unit.

“The CUAS was almost a side job or a hobby; we had to concentrate mainly on our jobs as air defence as well as caretaking the CUAS capability,” Bombardier Davis-Moore said.

Bombardier Davies-Moore was born in England and emigrated with his family to Australia in 2007.

He wanted to join the Army at 17, but was discouraged by his father, who was a mental health nurse in the UK and had seen the toll military service can have, but Bombardier Davies-Moore eventually joined in 2017 aged 23.

Being told he was going to receive a Conspicuous Service Medal as part of the 2024 Australia Day Honours came as a bit of a shock, not only to him but his unit as well.

“My rank originally put me forward for a commendation, so when it came back to the unit as a CSM it was a surprise for everyone,” Bombardier Davies-Moore said.

“When I was talking to the secretary from the Governor-General’s office, I made her second guess who she was talking to and ask her work colleague to make sure she had the right person.

“We were just caretaking the equipment, doing the best with what we had to do, and someone higher up decided it deserved recognition.”

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