Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces or COMUKMARFOR is a senior post in the Royal Navy . The post is the highest seagoing command in the Royal Navy and is part of the Fleet Battle Staff based in Portsmouth , part of the former Commander - in - Chief Fleet ' s staff and now accountable to Fleet Commander . The commander has the rank of Rear - Admiral . History . The Commander UK Maritime Forces is a renaming of a previous position , Commander United Kingdom Task Group . Despite the name change , he still performs the same function . He is in command ( at sea ) of naval task forces and task groups formed for specific operations . The Commander would command the UK Amphibious Task Group . Previously , there was also Commander United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group ( COMUKCSG ) ; however , with the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review , this has been removed . The new Commander UK Task Group ( COMUKTG ) specialises in Maritime Security . The UK Amphibious Task Group was renamed as Response Force Task Group as a result of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review . Organisation within the Royal Navy Fleet . COMUKMARFOR directs the COMUKTG ( who commands the Response Force Task Group ) . He works closely with his equal in the Fleet Battle Staff , the Commander UK Amphibious Forces ( COMUKAMPHIBFOR ) who is a Royal Marine of equivalent rank . COMUKMARFOR is responsible for blue - water warfare , as opposed to COMUKAMPIBFOR who is responsible for amphibious warfare . Past Operational Deployments directed by COMUKMARFOR . Commodore Cunningham , the previous COMUKCSG , flew his flag throughout the January to May Orion ' 08 deployment , as Commander Task Group 328 . 01 , which included exercises with the Indian Navy , aboard . The Naval Task Group for Operation VELA , a three month deployment to West Africa in 2006 , was under the command of Commander UK Amphibious Group , Commodore Phil Jones . The VELA deployment involved a significant number of Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships , the Royal Marine Commandos and helicopters . The Task Group included , , , , , , , , , , , Mine Counter Measure Squadron 1 and a Fleet submarine together with the Fleet Lead Commando Group , consisting of 40 Commando Royal Marines , 59 Commando Independent Engineering Squadron , 29 Commando Royal Artillery and 539 Assault Squadron Royal Marines . Also involved were elements of Fleet Diving Unit 2 and 849 ( B ) Flight from RNAS Culdrose . Embarked in HMS " Ocean " for the deployment a Tailored Air Group ( TAG ) was formed , consisting of Sea King helicopters of 845 Naval Air Squadron , 846 Naval Air Squadron , Merlin Mk 1 aircraft from 820 Naval Air Squadron and Lynx helicopters of 847 Naval Air Squadron . The Vela task group conducted an amphibious exercise , Exercise Green Eagle , in Sierra Leone . Task Groups despatched to the Far East since 2003 have included deployments in 2003 , 2004 , and 2005 . In 2003 , Naval Task Group 03 had been intended to take part in FPDA exercises in the Asia - Pacific region but was diverted for involvement in the 2003 Iraq War . Eventually part of the Naval Task Group including , and departed Gulf waters , after the intervention phase of the Iraq War ( 2003 ) , en route for Exercise Flying Fish , with Commonwealth - partners and members of the Five Power Defence Arrangements which are the United Kingdom , Malaysia , Singapore , Australia and New Zealand . In 2004 , , , RFA " Diligence " and RFA " Grey Rover " visited the Asia - Pacific region . In 2005 , " Liverpool " , with RFA " Grey Rover " , made such a deployment . Commanders have been as follows :