The UK Royal Marines are being restructured to better fit the changing Royal Navy fleet, the UK Ministry of Defence announced on Tuesday.
According to the UK Ministry of Defence, some 200 Royal Marine roles are being repurposed with around half of them being backroom function roles, like drivers and administrative staff. These positions could be carried out by Reservists and civilians the ministry said.
The other half of the restructure comes as part of plans developed by 3 Commando Brigade, who are responsible for the deployment of the Marines, who decided it would be beneficial to the Corps to make 42 Commando a specialised Maritime Operations unit.
A Royal Marines Commando performs roles ranging from maritime operations like countering piracy and protecting our trade routes across the globe, to land-based operations like warfighting and peace-keeping. Under this re-balancing, 42 Commando will become the specialised, go-to unit for maritime operations – meaning some of their posts, like heavy weapons specialists, can be reallocated across the Navy.
No Royal Marines will be made redundant as a result of today’s news, the ministry noted, adding that those in the roles which have been identified for repurposing leave, will have their positions transfered to a different area of the navy.
“As someone who has worked with Royal Marines at every stage of my career, most notably when commanding the Amphibious Task Group from RM Stonehouse, I know how vital their role is as the UK’s premier high readiness contingency force. However, as First Sea Lord, I also know we must adapt to meet the challenges of a dangerous and uncertain world,” First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Philip Jones , said.
“As Royal Marines, we pride ourselves in being the first to understand, the first to adapt and the first to overcome. So as we confront a changing and unstable security environment, we are defining an exciting future for our Corps, which will ensure that we remain as relevant tomorrow as we do today,” Commandant General Royal Marines, Major General Robert Magowan commented.