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The Royal Marines ('''RM''') are the force. It is a force designed to be able to quickly deploy and fight in any terrain in the world. ROLE The Royal Marines are a maritime-focused, amphibious, light infantry force capable of deploying at short notice in support of the United Kingdom Government's military and diplomatic objectives overseas and are optimised for highly manoeuvreable operational situations. As the United Kingdom Armed Forces' specialists in cold weather warfare the Corps provide lead element expertise in the NATO Northern Flank and are optimised for high altitude operations. In common with the other armed forces, the Royal Marines can provide resources for Military Aid to Civil Authority and Military Aid to Civil Power operations. COMMAND, CONTROL AND ORGANISATION The overall head of the Royal Marines is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II , in her role as Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces . The highest rank in the Royal Marines is the Captain-General . This is, however, a ceremonial rank, which is equivalent to Admiral Of The Fleet in the Royal Navy , Field Marshal in the British Army and Marshal Of The Royal Air Force . The current Captain-General is Prince Philip, Duke Of Edinburgh . The highest rank available to a serving Royal Marines officer is General . Actual command of the Royal Marines is vested in the Commander-in-Chief Fleet with the Commandant-General Royal Marines , a Major-General , embedded within the CINCFLEET staff as Commander UK Amphibious Force (COMUKAMPHIBFOR). The operational capability of the Corps comprises a number of Battalion-sized units, three of these are designated as "Commandos":
Each of these formations is commanded by a Lieutenant-Colonel of the Royal Marines, who may have sub-specialised in a number of ways throughout his career. 3 Commando Brigade See Also: 3 Commando Brigade Operational Control (OPCON) of the three Commandos and the Commando Logistics Regiment is delegated to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines , of which they are a part. Based at Stonehouse Barracks, the Brigade exercises control as directed by either CINCFLEET or the Permanent Joint Headquarters . As the main combat formation of the Royal Marines, the Brigade has its own organic capability to support it in the field:
The Brigade also holds Operational Control of three attached army units from The Rifles , Royal Artillery and Royal Engineer s. Independent Elements The independent elements of the Royal Marines are:
Structure of a Commando shirt.]] The three Commandos are each organised into six Companies , further organised into Platoon -sized Troop s, as follows:
In general a rifle company Marine will be a member of a four-man Fire Team , the building block of commando operations. A Royal Marine works with his team in the field and shares accommodation if living in barracks. This structure is a recent development, formerly Commandos were structured similarly to light Infantry Battalion s. During the restructuring of the United Kingdom's military services the Corps evolved from a Cold War focus on NATO's Northern Flank towards a more expeditionary posture. Amphibious Ready Group assault watercraft]] The Amphibious Ready Group is a mobile, balanced amphibious force, based on a Commando Group and its supporting assets, that can be kept at high readiness to deploy into an area of operations. The Amphibious Ready Group is normally based around specialist amphibious ships, most notably HMS ''Ocean'' , the largest ship in the British fleet. ''Ocean'' was designed and built to accommodate an embarked commando and its associated stores and equipment. The strategy of the Amphibious Ready Group is to wait "beyond the horizon" and then deploy swiftly as directed by HM Government. The whole amphibious force is intended to be self-sustaining and capable of operating without host-nation support. The concept was successfully tested in operations in Sierra Leone . Commando Helicopter Force The Fleet Air Arm Commando Helicopter Force uses both Sea King transport and Lynx Light lift/ light attack Helicopter s to provide aviation support for the Royal Marines. It consists of both Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel. RN personnel need not be commando trained. TRAINING Royal Marines undergo the longest basic training regime of any Infantry force in the world (32 weeks), at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) at Lympstone , Devon . The Royal Marines is the only part of the British Armed Forces where Officers and Other Ranks are trained at the same location. Much of the basic training is carried out on the rugged terrain of Dartmoor and Woodbury common with a significant proportion taking place at night. Before beginning Royal Marines Recruit Training the potential recruit must attend a Potential Royal Marine Course (PRMC) held at CTCRM. PRMC lasts 3 days and assesses physical ability and intellectual capacity to undertake the recruit training. Officer candidates must also undertake the Admiralty Interview Board . Officers and Marines undergo the same training up to the commando tests, thereafter Marines go on to employment in a rifle company while Officers continue training. Officer courses are required to meet higher standards in the Commando tests. Basic training The first weeks of training are spent learning basic skills that will be used later. This includes much time spent on the parade ground and on the rifle ranges. Physical training at this stage emphasizes all-round body strength, in order to develop the muscles necessary to carry the heavy weights a marine will use in an operational unit. Key milestones include a gym passout at week 9 (not carried out with fighting order), which shows that a recruit is ready for the Bottom Field, a battle swimming test, and learning to do a "regain" (i.e. climb back onto a rope suspended over a water tank). Most of these tests are completed with the ever present "fighting order" of 32 lb (14.5 kg) of equipment. Individual fieldcraft skills are also taught at this basic stage. The Commando Course The culmination of training is a period known as the Commando Course. Following the Royal Marines taking on responsibility for the Commando Role with the disbandment of the Army Commandos at the end of World War II , all Royal Marines, except those in the Royal Marines Band Service , complete the Commando course as part of their training (see below). Key aspects of the course include climbing and ropework techniques, patrolling, and amphibious operations. This intense phase ends with a series of tests which have remained virtually unchanged since World War II. Again, these tests are done with a "fighting order" of 32 lb (14.5kg) of equipment. The commando tests are taken on consecutive days; they include;
The day after the 30 mile (48 km) march, any who failed any of the tests may attempt to retake them. Completing the Commando Course successfully entitles the recruit or officer to wear the coveted Green Beret but does not mean that the Royal Marine has finished his training. That decision will be made by the troop or batch training team and will depend on the recruit's or young officer's overall performance. Furthermore, officer training still consists of many more months. Training to be a Royal Marine takes 32 weeks. The last week is mainly administration and preparing for the pass out parade. Recruits in their final week of training are known as the King's Squad. After basic and commando training, a Royal Marine Commando will normally join a unit of near Taunton in Somerset , 42 Commando at Bickleigh Barracks, near Plymouth , Devon , and 45 Commando at HMS Condor, Arbroath on the east coast of Scotland . Non Royal Marine volunteers for Commando training undertake the All Arms Commando Course There is also a Reserve Commando Course run for members of the Royal Marines Reserve and Commando units of the Territorial Army . Specialist training Royal Marines may then go on to undertake specialist training in a variety of skills; Platoon Weapons Instructor, Mortar operator, signals, clerks, Sniper , PT instructor, Mountain Leader , Swimmer Canoeist , chef, Landing Craft coxswain, Telecommunications Technician (Tels Tech) etc. Training for these specialisations may be undertaken at CTCRM or in a joint environment, such as the Defence School Of Transport at Leconfield or the Defence Police College . Some marines are trained in military Parachuting to allow flexibility of insertion methods for all force elements. Marines complete this training at RAF Brize Norton but are not required to undergo Pre Parachute Selection Course (P-Company) training with the Parachute Regiment . CURRENT WEAPONS
HISTORY See Also: History of the Royal Marines TRADITIONS AND INSIGNIA The Royal Marines have a proud history and unique traditions. Their colours (flags) do not carry individual battle honours in the manner of the regiments of the British Army but rather the "globe itself" as the symbol of the Corps. The regimental quick march is ''A Life on the Ocean Wave''. The badge of the Royal Marines is designed to commemorate the history of the Corps. The Lion and Crown denotes a Royal regiment. King George III conferred this honour in 1802 "in consideration of the very meritorious services of the Marines in the late war." The "Great Globe itself" surrounded by laurels was chosen by King George IV as a symbol of the Marines' successes in every quarter of the world. The laurels are believed to honour the gallantry they displayed during the investment and capture of Belle Isle , off Lorient , in April–June 1761. The word " Gibraltar " refers to the Siege Of Gibraltar in 1704. It was awarded in 1827 by George IV as a special distinction for the services of four of the old Army Marine regiments (Queen's Own Marines, 1st Marines, 2nd Marines, 3rd Marines). All other honours gained by the Royal Marines are represented by the "Great Globe". As a consequence, there are no battle honours displayed on the Colours of the four battalion sized units in the corps. When referring to individual Commandos: 45 Commando is referred to as "four-five" rather than "forty-five commando" as is 42 Commando, 40 Commando is "forty". The only units which carry colours are 40 Commando, 42 Commando, 45 Commando, and the Fleet Protection Group (which is the custodian of the colours of 43 Commando). The fouled anchor, incorporated into the emblem in 1747, is the badge of the Lord High Admiral and shows that the Corps is part of the Naval Service . ''Per Mare Per Terram'' ("By Sea, By Land"), the motto of the Marines, is believed to have been used for the first time in 1785. The regimental quick march of the Corps is '' A Life On The Ocean Wave '', while the slow march is '' Preobrajensky ''. Dress headgear is a white Wolseley pattern Pith Helmet surmounted by a ball, a distinction once standard for artillerymen. This derives from the part of the Corps that was once the Royal Marine Artillery. The Royal Marines are one of six regiments allowed by the Lord Mayor of London to march through the City as a regiment in full array. This dates to the charter of Charles II that allowed recruiting parties of the Admiral's Regiment of 1664 to enter the City with drums beating and colours flying. Order of Precedence As the descendant of the old Marine Regiments of the British Army , the Royal Marines has a position in the Order Of Precedence of the Infantry; this is after the 49th Regiment of Foot, the descendant of which is the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire And Wiltshire Regiment . Therefore, the Royal Marines would parade after the RGBW. This is because the 49th Foot was the last Regiment raised prior to the formation of the Corps of Marines as part of the Royal Navy in 1755. In 2007, the RGBW was amalgamated into a large Regiment — this new Regiment is placed last in the order of precedence, as it is a regiment of rifles. As a consequence, the Royal Marines have moved behind the Royal Anglian Regiment , which is the linear descendent of the 48th Foot, at position number six in the new Order of Precedence. However, when the Royal Navy is on parade, then the Royal Marines parade with them at the extreme right of the line.
Alliances
Royal Marines who gained fame in other fields
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