Royal Marines

The Corps of Royal Marines, usually just known as the Royal Marines (RM), are the United Kingdom's amphibious forces and a core component of the country's Rapid Deployment Force. They are lightly equipped, able to operate independently in all terrains, and highly trained as a commando force.

Training

Marines undergo a long basic training regime at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) at Lympstone, Devon. The Royal Marines is the only part of the British forces in which both officers and recruits are trained in the same place. Much of the basic training is carried out on the rugged terrain of Dartmoor. A large amount of training is done at night.

Related Topics:
Commando Training Centre Royal Marines - Lympstone - Devon - Dartmoor

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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 32lbs of equipment. Individual fieldcraft skills are also taught at this basic stage.

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Breakdown of the 32 week recruit training

Phase 1

Module 1 - Foundation

"To effect the transition from civilian to military life and prepare the individual recruit for training in the Royal Marines"

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• Week 1 - Joining routine, MSC (military skills & circuits) assessment, kit issue, NAMET exams, admin, drill & PT
• Week 2 - Ex First Step (1 night in the field - Woodbury Common), drill, PT & personal admin
• Week 3 - Weapon training, drill, PT & Families Day

LWEL (long weekend leave)

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Module 2 - Individual Skills

"To teach and practise elementary military skills in a progressive manner"

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• Week 4 - Weapon training, PT and swims, drill & Corps history, Ex Early Knight (night in field with weapon - behind Tarzan Course)
• Week 5 - Weapon training (including weapon handling tests), PT & runs, map reading, Ex Quick Cover (3 day field exercise including basic fieldcraft and CQB - Woodbury Common)
• Week 6 - First aid, rifle shoot, PT, map reading
• Week 7 - Ex Marshal Star (3 1/2 day field ex including basic fieldcraft & soldiering skills - Woodbury Common)
• Week 8 - Drill, PT, map reading, first aid, survival training (Stallcombe)
• Week 9 - Drill, PT, map reading, first aid (including NVQ testing), LSW conversion
• Week 10 - Ex Hunter's Moon (4 day field ex including navigation training and map reading - Woodbury Common)

LWEL

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"To consolidate the skills learned thus far and progress onto more advanced aspects of individual soldiering"

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• Week 11 - Live firing: rifle to APWT (Combat Infantryman)
• Week 12 - APWT (Combat Infantryman), rifle transition to live firing & LSW APWA
• Week 13 - NBC, signals, grenade throwing & helicopter dunker drills
• Week 14 - First fit of Lovats & Blues, NBC, signals, Ex Running Man (3 day field ex, mainly navigation training & yomping, includes a 20 hour survival ex - Dartmoor & Gidleigh)
• Week 15 - Individual skills revision, Ex Baptist Run (2 day field test ex to test all skills taught in Phase 1 - includes stalking, kit inspections, map reading, NBC, signals, deservicing inspection - Woodbury Common), first drill inspection, arms drill passout, End of Phase 1 Parade

LWEL

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Phase 2

Module 4 - Operations of War

"To train and practise a recruit in the tactical skills and knowledge required to act as a rifleman in all operations of war and all transitional phases of war"

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• Week 16 - Signals, Battle Physical Training (BPT), 51mm mortar training
• Week 17 - Ex First Base (tactical field patrols & harbour drills - Perridge Estate)
• Week 18 - Ex Second Empire (section & tp level attacks, tp fighting patrols & ambushes - Woodbury Common)
• Week 19 - Underslung-Grenade Launcher (UGL) training, 94mm LAW training (currently GPMG training), R & I/Adventure Training (Devon/Wales), BPT
• Week 20 - Ex Dorset Leap (Tp level patrolling test ex - Bov Training Area)
• Week 21 - BPT, 94mm LAW training (currently GPMG training), defence lectures, NBC
• Week 22 - BPT pass out, NBC, Ex Rorke's Drift (dig & defence ex including NBC)
• Week 23 - Ex Violent Entry (OBUA Ex - Sennybridge)

LWEL

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• Week 24 - LMG (minimi) training, Endurance Course acquaint
• Week 25 - 12 mile load carry, amphibious training (Poole), LMG firing & APWA

Module 5 - Commando Course

"To confirm a recruit is professionally prepared for service in an operational unit, is at a Commando level of fitness and has the requisite qualities of determination, courage, unselfishness, professional skill & cheerfulness under adversity"

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• Week 26 - 6 mile speed march, cliff assault & rope techniques (Foggin Tor), water obstacle crossing, Tarzan & Assault Course instruction, Final Exercise
• Week 27 - Final Exercise, specialisations lectures/DSS

LWEL

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• Week 28 - ECDL computing, Tarzan & Assault & Endurance Course run throughs, drill
• Week 29 - Field Firing Ex 1 (individual & fire team level live firing - Dartmoor)
• Week 30 - Field Firing Ex 2 (section & troop level live firing - Dartmoor), Endurance Course pass out
• Week 31 - Commando Tests, ECDL computing, drill

Module 6 - King's Squad Pass Out Week

"To Pass Out a recruit for duty in a fitting manner"

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• Week 32 - King's Squad Pass Out Parade & leaving admin

In 1918, King George V visited the Royal Marines depot at Deal in Kent, where he inspected the recruit squads. To mark this visit, the King directed that the senior recruit squad of each intake should be known as The King's Squad, a tradition that continues to the present.

Related Topics:
1918 - King George V - Deal - Kent

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The Commando Course

The culmination of training is a period known as the Commando Course. Since the creation of the British Commandos during 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.

Related Topics:
British Commandos - World War II

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This intense phase ends with a series of tests which have remained virtually unchanged since World War II. Again these tests, and indeed virtually all the training, is done with a "fighting order" of 32lbs of equipment.

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The commando tests are taken on consecutive days, they include;

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• A nine-mile (14.5 km) speed march, carrying full fighting order, to be completed in 90 minutes; the pace is thus 10 minutes per mile (6 min/km).
• The Endurance course is a one-and-a-half mile (2.4 km) course across rough terrain at Woodbury Common near Lympstone, which includes tunnels, pipes, wading pools, and an underwater culvert. The course ends with a four-mile run back to CTCRM. Followed by a marksmanship test. To be completed in 72 minutes, 70 minutes for Royal Marine officers.
• The Tarzan Assault Course. This is an assault course combined with an aerial confidence test. It starts with a death slide and ends with a rope climb up a thirty foot vertical wall. It must be completed with full fighting order in 13 minutes, 12 minutes for Royal Marine officers.
• A nine mile (14 km) speed march. This test requires recruits to speed march 9 miles (14 km) in 90 minutes carrying full fighting order.
• The Thirty miler. This is a 30 mile (48 km) march across Dartmoor, wearing fighting order, and additional safety equipment. It must be completed in 8 hours for recruits and 7 hours for Royal Marine officers, who must also navigate the route themselves, rather than following a DS with the rest of a syndicate.

The day after the 30 mile (48 km) march, any who failed any of the tests may attempt to retake them.

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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 recruits or young officer's overall performance.

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After basic and commando training, a Royal Marine Commando will normally join a unit of 3 Commando Brigade. There are three Royal Marines Commando infantry units in the Brigade: 40 Commando located at Norton Manor

Related Topics:
3 Commando Brigade - Norton Manor

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near Taunton in Somerset, 42 Commando at Bickleigh, near Plymouth, Devon, and 45 Commando at Arbroath on the east coast of Scotland.

Related Topics:
Taunton - Somerset - Bickleigh - Plymouth - Devon - Arbroath - Scotland

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Specialist training

Royal Marines may then go on to undertake specialist training in a variety of skills. Possibly volunteering for the Special Forces with the Special Boat Service. Other specializations include, sniper training, platoon weapons, drill instructor, PT instructor, mountain leader (specialists in ski-ing and arctic warfare), support weapons, pilot training, or AAT (advanced amphibious training). The most recently formed specialist unit of the Royal Marines is the Electronic Warfare Department (EWD), whose members are trained to interrogate and attack enemy communications networks and to defend British military networks.

Related Topics:
Special Boat Service - Sniper

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