Royal Marines leave infantry role to bolster special forces

ROYAL Marines are to be withdrawn from conventional infantry roles and reassigned to a new naval special operations unit supporting the UK's elite Special Boat Service (SBS). The radical restructuring was confirmed during last week's NATO summit, where military chiefs warned of rising threats from Russia and non-state actors. Though technically part of the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines played a leading role in bolstering infantry ground operations during both the Iraq War and the bloody 12-year conflict in Afghanistan.

Now, UK Commando Force will be expected to support special operations, rapid-response missions, and humanitarian tasks - including deployments alongside UK Carrier Strike Groups. Crucially, the new force will form part of the UK's "offer" to NATO, with 45 Commando committed to holding the line against Vladimir Putin's Russian forces along the Finnish and Norwegian borders. There, they will operate with UK Special Forces from a new permanent base in Norway known as Camp Viking.

40 Commando will be tasked to support hostage rescue and UK national evacuation operations alongside the SBS, while 42 Commando will deploy small boarding teams to the Middle East in a highly sensitive role to intercept dhows being used to smuggle weapons into Yemen.

They are also on call to support SBS operations around the UK coastline, including the liberation of captured oil rigs and vessels and the rescue of hostages.

It is the latest phase in a transformation that began five years ago under the Future Commando Force (FCF) programme - which aimed to return the Commandos to their original Second World War roots by abandoning large-scale amphibious assaults in favour of small, flexible 4-5-man teams capable of persistent deployment, close integration with special forces, and rapid response to global crises.

The move has been championed by General Gwyn Jenkins, who in May became the first Royal Marine to be appointed First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff in the corps' 361-year history.

Gen Jenkins - who boasts a Special Forces background - has personally overseen much of the transformation, ensuring the marines are equipped with weapons and communications systems on par with UK Special Forces.

These include abandoning the standard-issue SA80 rifle, with more than a thousand more capable L403A1 KS-1 rifles already purchased, while the Colt Canada rifles traditionally used for maritime boarding operations are being upgraded to Sig Sauer MCX rifles.

In a £90m move, Commandos will also adopt a new "tactical digital backbone", using MPU5 handheld radios powered by the Wave Relay system, which allow secure peer-to-peer communications - including voice, video, GPS and sensor data - without needing base stations or external infrastructure.

The force has also been issued updated ballistic helmets and improved combat gear, while new lightweight uniforms are under evaluation.

US-made Crye Precision gear is currently in use, but concerns over its weight when wet have prompted a search for alternatives, with a digital camouflage pattern similar to that of the US Marines reportedly favoured.

The new unit is formally designated as Level 2 special operations, meaning it will not conduct so-called "door-kicking" Level 1 SF missions directly, but will support those carried out by the SBS - much as the Army's Special Forces Support Group (SFSG) supports both the SAS and SBS.

Justin Crump, a former Army officer and now CEO of the strategic intelligence firm Sibylline, said the shift was a natural evolution.

"This has been the direction of travel for some time," he said.

"If you look at their contribution in Afghanistan, 3 Commando Brigade was rotating alongside other units as a conventional land force. That's now changing.

"What it means in practice is one less full combat brigade in the Army's land force structure, and a significant boost to the UK's special operations capability."

He added: "What we're telling NATO is: we can't give you mass, but we can give you punchy, high-end capabilities."

In 2003, more than 2,000 Royal Marines supported by 80 helicopters mounted a large-scale amphibious attack on the Al-Faw Peninsula in southern Iraq, successfully capturing one of Saddam Hussein's key oil-producing regions.

Marines were also essential to Britain's efforts in Afghanistan.

40 Commando was the first British unit to deploy to Afghanistan in 2001, securing Bagram Airfield and going on to patrol the streets of Kabul, and Royal Marines were deployed 12 times in 12 years.

And not everyone agrees with the change.

"I consider myself as always having been an infantry soldier at heart. The Royal Marines was a corps for all seasons - a 650-strong Commando unit was the perfect instrument for tackling any job that came along," said Gen Julian Thompson, who famously led 3 Commando Brigade to victory during the Falklands War.

"The problem with reducing the Corps to special operations is that small units become easily expendable when things are going well.

"I fear that giving up its infantry role will be a disaster for the corps."

A Royal Navy spokesperson said: "The transformation of the UK Commando Force (UKCF) is well underway and we are committed to their modernisation, which includes new shipping, the latest technology including uncrewed and autonomous capabilities, and cutting-edge digital systems to retain our operational advantage.

"The Force delivers commando operations which are by nature special operations."