Royal Marines The Corps of Her Majesty ' s Royal Marines , commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines ( RM ) , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and , along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary , form the Naval Service . They are also the United Kingdom ' s specialists in amphibious warfare , including the operation of landing craft ; mountain warfare ; and Arctic warfare . A core component of the country ' s Rapid Deployment Force , the Corps ' s 3 Commando Brigade is capable of operating independently and is highly trained as a commando force . It is trained to deploy quickly and fight in any terrain . The Royal Marines have one of the longest basic infantry training courses in the world . Manpower . The Royal Marines have a regular manpower of 7 , 420 personnel . In addition the Royal Marines have a part - time volunteer reserve force ( RMR ) of 970 personnel , giving a total of 8 , 390 Royal Marines . This makes the Royal Marines the largest force of its type in the European Union , and it is the only European force capable of carrying out amphibious operations at brigade level . The Royal Marines is the second largest force of its type in NATO , second only to the United States Marine Corps which numbers over 200 , 000 personnel . History . The Royal Marines were formed as part of the Naval Service in 1755 . However , it can trace its origins back as far as 1664 , when English soldiers first went to sea to fight the Dutch . The Corps underwent a notable change after 1945 however , when the Royal Marines took on the main responsibility for the role and training of the British Commandos . The Royal Marines have an illustrious history , and since their creation in 1942 Royal Marines Commandos have engaged on active operations across the globe , every year , except 1968 . Notably they were the first ever military unit to perform an air assault insertion by helicopter , during the Suez Crisis in 1956 . Role . The Royal Marines are a maritime - focused , amphibious , highly specialised light infantry force of commandos capable of deploying at short notice in support of the United Kingdom Government ' s military and diplomatic objectives overseas and are optimised for operational situations requiring highly manoeuvreable forces . 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 , with jungle training still carried out when deployments allow . In common with the other armed forces , the Royal Marines can provide resources for Military Aid to the Civil Community and Military Aid to the Civil Power operations and have done so . 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 ceremonial head of the Royal Marines is the Captain General Royal Marines ( equivalent to the Colonel - in - Chief of a British Army regiment ) . The current Captain - General is Prince Philip , Duke of Edinburgh . Full Command of the Royal Marines is vested in the Commander - in - Chief Fleet ( CINCFLEET ) 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 , of which three are designated as " Commandos " : With the exception of the Fleet Protection Group and Commando Logistic Regiment , which are each commanded by a full Colonel , each of these units is commanded by a Lieutenant - Colonel of the Royal Marines , who may have sub - specialised in a number of ways throughout his career . There is also a Mountain Leader Training Cadre based at Stonehouse Barracks , Plymouth . 3 Commando Brigade . Operational Command ( OpCom ) 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 , 30 Commando Information Exploitation Group , a battalion sized formation providing information operations capabilities , life support and security for the Brigade HQ . The Brigade also holds OpCom of attached army units from Royal Artillery and Royal Engineer s . 1 Bn The Rifles came under OpCom of the brigade from 1 Apr 08 . Independent elements . The independent elements of the Royal Marines are : Structure of a Commando . 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 British Army 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 Task Group . Formerly known as the Amphibious Ready Group , the Amphibious Task Group ( or ATG ) is a mobile , balanced amphibious warfare 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 ATG is normally based around specialist amphibious ships , most notably , 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 ATG 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 Commando Helicopter Force forms part of the Fleet Air Arm . The force comprises four helicopter squadrons and is commanded by the Joint Helicopter Command . It consists of both Royal Navy ( RN ) and Royal Marines personnel . RN personnel need not be commando trained . The Commando Helicopter Force is neither under the permanent control of 3 Commando Brigade nor that of the Commandant General Royal Marines but rather is allocated to support Royal Marines units as required . It uses both Sea King transport and Lynx Light lift helicopter s to provide aviation support for the Royal Marines . Training and selection . Royal Marines recruit training is the longest basic modern infantry training programme of any NATO combat troops . The Royal Marines are the only part of the British Armed Forces where officers and other ranks are trained at the same location , the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines ( CTCRM ) at Lympstone , Devon . 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 . Selection . Initially all potential recruits are required to attend a series of entrance / aptitude tests and interviews at the Armed Forces Careers office ( AFCO ) to assess the suitability of all applicants . A series of physical assessments are also conducted including a hearing test , sight test and drug test in the form of a urine sample . Then , before beginning Royal Marines recruit training the potential recruit must attend a Potential Royal Marine Course ( PRMC ) or Potential Officer Course ( POC ) held at CTCRM . PRMC lasts three 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 candidates 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 range s . The long history of the Royal Marines is also highlighted through a visit to the Royal Marines Museum in Southsea , Hampshire . Physical training at this stage emphasizes all - round physical strength , endurance and flexibility in order to develop the muscle s necessary to carry the heavy equipment a marine will use in an operational unit . Key milestones include a gym passout at week 9 ( not carried out with fighting order ) , 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 wearing fighting order of 32 lb ( 14 . 5 kg ) of Personal Load Carrying Equipment . Individual fieldcraft skills are also taught at this basic stage . The Commando Course . The culmination of training is 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 , patrol ling , and amphibious warfare operations . This intense phase ends with a series of tests which have remained virtually unchanged since World War II . Again , these tests are done in full fighting order of 32 lb ( 14 . 5 kg ) of equipment . The Commando Tests are taken on consecutive days and all four tests must be successfully completed within a seven day period ; they include ; After the march , any who failed any of the tests may attempt to retake them up until the seven day window expires . If a recruit fails two or more of the tests , however , it is unlikely that a chance to re - attempt them will be offered . Normally the seven day schedule for the Commando Tests is as follows : 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 spent mainly on administration and preparing for the pass out parade . Recruits in their final week of training are known as the King ' s Squad and have their own section of the recruits ' galley at Lympstone . 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 Camp near Taunton in Somerset , 42 Commando at Bickleigh Barracks , near Plymouth , Devon , and 45 Commando at RM Condor , Arbroath on the coast of Angus . 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 , signaller , clerk , physical training instructor ( PTI ) , mountain leader , swimmer canoeist , chef , landing craft coxswain , telecommunications technician ( Tels Tech ) , assault engineer 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 due to the arduous nature of the commando course they have already completed . Current Weapons and Equipment . The Royal Marines operate a diverse range of vehicles , weapons and landing craft . 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 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 1775 . The regimental quick march of the Corps is " A Life on the Ocean Wave " , while the slow march is " Preobrajensky " , awarded to the Corps by Admiral of the Fleet Earl Mountbatten of Burma on the occasion of the Corps ' s tercentenary in 1964 . Lord Mountbatten was Life Colonel Commandant of the Royal Marines until his murder by the IRA in 1979 . 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 the City 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 . Their nickname Bootneck derives its origins from the leather ' stock ' worn round the neck inside the collar by soldiers . Uniforms . For historical information regarding Marine uniforms , see History of the Royal Marines . The modern Royal Marines retain a number of distinctive uniform items . These include the green " Lovat " service dress worn with the coveted green beret , the dark blue parade dress worn with either the white Wolseley pattern helmet or white and red peaked cap , the scarlet and blue mess dress for officers and senior non - commissioned officers and the white hot - weather uniform of the Band Service . Order of Precedence . As the descendant of the old Marine Regiments of the British Army , the Royal Marines used to have a position in the Order of Precedence of the Infantry ; this was after the 49th Regiment of Foot , the descendant of which is the Royal Gloucestershire , Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment . Therefore , the Royal Marines would have paraded 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 . However as a result of the new Army amalgamations the Royal Marines have now been removed from the Infantry order of precedence and will now always take post , as a constituent part of the Naval Service , at the head of the parade alongside the Navy , or alone if the Navy are not represented . Thus , if only the infantry is represented , the Royal Marines would parade before the Grenadier Guards , the senior infantry regiment in the Army . Affiliations . Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Early connections date from Balaclava in the Crimean War and Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny , but the main association stems from World War 2 . In July 1940 , after the fall of Dunkirk , the 5th Battalion , Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders served with the Royal Marine Brigade for over a year . When HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse were sunk in December 1941 , the Royal Marines survivors joined up with the remnants of the 2nd Battalion , in the defence of Singapore . They formed what became known as ' The Plymouth Argylls ' , after the association football team , since both ships were Plymouth manned . Most of the Highlanders and Marines who survived the bitter fighting were taken prisoner by the Japanese . The Royal Marines inter - unit rugby football trophy is the ' Argyll Bowl ' , presented to the Corps by the Regiment in 1941 . A message of greetings is sent to the Regiment each year on their Regimental Day , 25 October , the anniversary of the Battle of Balaclava in 1854 .