Future Commando Force
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The Future Commando Force (FCF) is an in-progress (as of February 2022) modernisation programme and model of the future role and operations of the
Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
. The FCF essentially retasks
40 Commando 40 Commando RM is a battalion-sized formation of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of Commander in Chief Fleet. Their barracks are at Norton ...
and
45 Commando 45 Commando Royal Marines (pronounced "four-five commando") is a battalion sized unit of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of th ...
with implementing the infantry component of two
Littoral Response Group A Littoral Response Group (LRG) is a Royal Navy task group consisting of at least two amphibious warfare ships, a company of Royal Marines and supporting elements primarily tasked with amphibious warfare from the littoral areas. They were first d ...
s (LRGs), though other units from
3 Commando Brigade 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), previously called the 3rd Special Service Brigade, is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces. It is composed of the Royal Marine Commandos, alongside commando qualified sailors, soldiers and airmen f ...
are also included in the composition of LRGs, as well as changing the role and operations of the Royal Marines and the equipment and tactics they use. The FCF concept was created before 2019, when the first exercises and experiments with the FCF began. It was reinforced in the
Defence in a Competitive Age ''Defence in a Competitive Age'' is a Ministry of Defence command paper which was released on 22 March 2021. It provided details on changes to the armed forces to meet the requirements of the Integrated Review which was published before it on 16 ...
command paper A command paper is a document issued by the UK Government and presented to Parliament. White papers, green papers, treaties, government responses, draft bills, reports from Royal Commissions, reports from independent inquiries and various govern ...
, which followed the
Integrated Review The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, often known as the Integrated Review, and titled as ''Global Britain in a Competitive Age'', was a review carried out by the British government led by Boris Johnson into th ...
. It describes the Royal Marines as a forward-deployed maritime
special operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...
/
special operations capable Special operations capable may refer to: * Special operations-capable forces, a term used by the British Armed Forces * Maritime Special Operations Capable (MARSOC), a term used by the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps ( nl, Korps Mariniers) * Marine ...
force which will work with greater agility and autonomy, and in smaller teams that specialise in raids within
littoral zone The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...
s, and operations within grey zones and other special operations to relieve and complement
United Kingdom Special Forces The United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) is a directorate comprising the Special Air Service, the Special Boat Service, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, the Special Forces Support Group, 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment and the Joint Special Force ...
(UKSF). The emphasis on the littoral role of the Royal Marines strongly links the FCF to the Littoral Strike concept, which is being developed and implemented by the LRGs. The FCF is also strongly linked to the "Autonomous Advanced Force" concept by its emphasis on leveraging new technologies to augment commandos on operations. A series of exercises from 2019–present (as of November 2021) have been key to developing the FCF, chiefly with experimentation.


Concept

Given that the FCF programme is ongoing, its form has not been finalised, and is subject to change. Currently, it models the Royal Marines as a new special operations/special operations capable maritime force. This force is to be expeditionary, provide a rapid response ability, and able work in littoral zones and grey zones. Moreover, the FCF was created, in part, to counter coastal A2AD systems. Specialising in raids, the FCF will also be capable in
Security force assistance Security Force Assistance (SFA) is the strategic-level military practice of a donor country creating, equipping, training, advising, and supporting one or more groups of a foreign host country, such as a military, police, paramilitary, coast gua ...
/
Foreign internal defense Foreign internal defense (FID) is a term used by the military in several countries, including the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, to describe an integrated, and possibly multi-country, approach to combating actual or threatened i ...
, and other operations that could potentially fall under special operations, in order to relieve UKSF of some of their mission set, allowing them to better focus on the tasks of greatest importance. The FCF programme has seen an increased focus on using technology to augment Royal Marine commandos, including tactical tablet kits, drones such as small Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) and cargo drones, throwbots, and AI-enabled autonomous systems. Autonomous systems using AI technologies such as
computer vision Computer vision is an interdisciplinary scientific field that deals with how computers can gain high-level understanding from digital images or videos. From the perspective of engineering, it seeks to understand and automate tasks that the hum ...
will also connect in
mesh networks A mesh network is a local area network topology in which the infrastructure nodes (i.e. bridges, switches, and other infrastructure devices) connect directly, dynamically and non-hierarchically to as many other nodes as possible and cooperate wit ...
and MANETs to supply
ISTAR ISTAR stands for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. In its macroscopic sense, ISTAR is a practice that links several battlefield functions together to assist a combat force in employing its sensors and managing t ...
to the Royal Marines in a single integrated platform. These new technologies are used to increase the effectivenes and
lethality Lethality (also called deadliness or perniciousness) is how capable something is of causing death. Most often it is used when referring to diseases, chemical weapons, biological weapons, or their toxic chemical components. The use of this ter ...
of Royal Marines, while modern C4ISR/C5I equipment is used to enable more agile and decentralised operations and integrated with autonomous systems to inform and assist decision-making and commando operations, in keeping with the Royal Navy's wider Advanced Autonomous Force concept. The renewal of equipment extends into new clothing and personal weapons for Royal Marines. Furthermore, new vehicles such as quadbikes and ships were trialled in exercises to develop the FCF as well as novel tactics, including an increased use of deception, working in teams of reduced sizes and of different compositions, and operating with greater agility and autonomy. The FCF is being developed in exercises; see the history section below for a detailed timeline. There have been numerous reports that there is not currently sufficient funding for the programme to be successful. In addition to this, it has been estimated the FCF would have ~4,000 Royal Marines personnel from the existing force of ~7,000.


Structure

The FCF is to form around the LRGs, specialised Royal Navy task groups that provide rapid strike capabilities in littoral zones and to counter grey zone and sub-threshold activity. They will be LRG(North), based in Europe and responsible for the
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
,
Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages * Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...
,
Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...
, and
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
(i.e. north of the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...
), and LRG(South), based in Oman and responsible for the
Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...
and
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
(i.e. south of the Suez). The LRGs are the implementation of the Navy's Littoral Strike concept.
45 Commando 45 Commando Royal Marines (pronounced "four-five commando") is a battalion sized unit of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of th ...
and
40 Commando 40 Commando RM is a battalion-sized formation of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of Commander in Chief Fleet. Their barracks are at Norton ...
will each contribute a company to form LRG(North) and LRG(South), respectively, in the form of new ''Strike Companies'' in the FCF - hence the name of the ''Vanguard Strike Company'' which tested FCF concepts in exercises. Furthermore, the structure of the FCF was outlined in evidence given to the House of Commons Defence Committee report ''We're going to need a bigger Navy'' as part of its inquiry ''The Navy: purpose and procurement'': Bay-class landing ships, however, are being upgraded and used only temporarily in place of the new Multi-Role Support Ships (MRSS) which are planned to enter service in the 2030s.


Summary

Each of the two LRGs will consist of: * Littoral Strike Unit (LSU) of ~ 250 personnel ** Rotating "strike" company from 40 or 45 Cdo ** Supporting personnel from the rest of 3 Cdo Bde * ''Albion''-class
Landing Platform Dock An amphibious transport dock, also called a landing platform dock (LPD), is an amphibious warfare ship, a warship that embarks, transports, and lands elements of a landing force for expeditionary warfare missions. Several navies currently operat ...
(LPD) * Bay-class
Landing Ship Dock A dock landing ship (also called landing ship, dock or LSD) is an amphibious warfare ship with a well dock to transport and launch landing craft and amphibious vehicles. Some ships with well decks, such as the Soviet Ivan Rogov class, also have ...
(LSD), termed a ''Littoral Strike Ship (LSS)'' *
Type 45 destroyer The Type 45 destroyer, also known as the D or ''Daring'' class, is a Ship class, class of six guided-missile destroyers built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy in the early 21st century. The class is primarily designed for Anti-aircraft warfa ...
escort * Further supporting ships and vessels


History


Background

In April 2017, the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Philip Jones, announced that
42 Commando 42 Commando (42 Cdo) (pronounced as Four-Two Commando) is a subordinate unit within the Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade. Based at Bickleigh Barracks near Plymouth, personnel regularly deploy outside the United Kingdom on operations or training. ...
, one of the Commando units of
3 Commando Brigade 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), previously called the 3rd Special Service Brigade, is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces. It is composed of the Royal Marine Commandos, alongside commando qualified sailors, soldiers and airmen f ...
, would become specialised in maritime operations. The Littoral Strike and FCF concepts were established sometime before 2019, being mentioned in various publications from the British government and armed forces in late 2018. The internal documents ''Designing for the Future – A Transformational Concept'', authored by the
Commandant General Royal Marines The Commandant General Royal Marines is the professional head of the Royal Marines. The title has existed since 1943. The role is held by a General who is assisted by a Deputy Commandant General, with the rank of brigadier. This position is not t ...
on , and ''Generating and Operating 2 x Littoral Strike Groups'', authored more generally within
3 Commando Brigade 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), previously called the 3rd Special Service Brigade, is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces. It is composed of the Royal Marine Commandos, alongside commando qualified sailors, soldiers and airmen f ...
on , further detailed the Littoral Strike and FCF concepts, and followed wider discussions on how 40 and 45 Cdo should be restructured that had been ongoing since at least 2017. Further development of both concepts was, in part, likely to help implement Boris Johnson's post-Brexit policy of "Global Britain", given the FCF's nature of forward deployment and special operations capability, the latter of which is pivotal to modern warfare.


2019

On , then-
Defence Secretary A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
Gavin Williamson Sir Gavin Alexander Williamson (born 25 June 1976) is a British politician who most recently served as Minister of State without Portfolio from 25 October to 8 November 2022. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Staffordshire s ...
described upcoming changes to the
British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...
, including the FCF, Littoral Strike concept, and LRGs. He also used the speech to announce plans to buy two "Littoral Strike Ships" in support of the LRGs. In , A Company,
40 Commando 40 Commando RM is a battalion-sized formation of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of Commander in Chief Fleet. Their barracks are at Norton ...
, and
1 Assault Group Royal Marines 47 Commando (Raiding Group) Royal Marines, formerly 1 Assault Group Royal Marines (2001-2019), provides the Royal Marines expertise and training in small boat operations, both amphibious and riverine. In addition, it trains and parents the Assau ...
carried out ''Exercise Commando Warrior'', which trialled the use of
Unmanned Aerial System An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controller ...
s (UASs) and
Unmanned Ground Vehicles An unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) is a vehicle that operates while in contact with the ground and without an onboard human presence. UGVs can be used for many applications where it may be inconvenient, dangerous, or impossible to have a human op ...
(UGVs) in support of a beach assault, and tactical operations as a whole. It involved using integrated data from both systems being monitored remotely to test the "Autonomous Advanced Force" concept. In , members of 40 Commando began to carry out ''Exercise Commando Warrior Two'', in which marines tested further technologies including AI-enabled systems, situational awareness pads,
Android Tactical Assault Kit Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK) is an Android smartphone geospatial infrastructure and military situation awareness app. It allows for precision targeting, surrounding land formation intelligence, situational awareness, navigation, and dat ...
(ATAK) tablets, and new radios. 40 Commando again further developed the FCF during ''Exercise Talisman Sabre'', taking place from in Australia, in which they acted as an advanced reconnaissance and raiding force ahead of amphibious landings. In , it was reported that the Royal Marines would adopt the
C8 SFW The Colt Canada C7 is a Canadian family of military rifles, manufactured by Colt Canada (formerly Diemaco prior to 2005), having similar design and function to the Colt M16A3. The C7 and its variants have been adopted as the standard issue ri ...
, already in service with UKSF, as their standard rifle. During the Autumn of 2019, the Royal Marines further trialled the FCF concept, enabling a larger conventional force from the
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
(USMC) during the regular training ''Exercise Green Dagger''.


2020

In , marines of 47 Commando (Raiding Group) Royal Marines and
45 Commando 45 Commando Royal Marines (pronounced "four-five commando") is a battalion sized unit of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of th ...
performed exercises including a landing with their Norwegian counterparts and their
Skjold-class corvette ''Skjold''-class corvettes (skjold means "shield" in Norwegian) are a class of six light, superfast, stealth missile corvettes in service with the Royal Norwegian Navy. The boats were formerly classed as MTBs ( motor torpedo boats) but, from 200 ...
s, which were found to suit the FCF model, ahead of ''Exercise Cold Response 20'', as well as testing other novel equipment for the FCF in "Project EVE". The exercise was, however, cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In , marines of A Company, 40 Commando, experimented with Polaris DAGOR vehicles. The DAGOR and Polaris MRZR vehicles were both used in FCF trials. In , parts of 47 Commando (Raiding Group) Royal Marines experimented with the use of jet suits for use in ship boarding operations and carried out ''Exercise Autonomous Advance Force'', which used autonomous equipment to test the "Autonomous Advanced Force" concept. The
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
notably took place during the development of the FCF concept, with the
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
declaring a pandemic on , and the first UK national lockdown being declared on . The Royal Marines and British Armed Forces as a whole had to adjust operations in light of the pandemic, which therefore affected the development of the FCF. On , The Royal Navy announced it would test a new helmet camera from its MarWorks specialists and Visual Engineering. In late , it was announced the Royal Marines would be transitioning from their existing
Multi-Terrain Pattern The Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP) is the standard camouflage pattern of the British Armed Forces. As part of the British Ministry of Defence's (MOD) Personal Equipment and Common Operational Clothing (PECOC) programme, three new camouflage patter ...
uniform to a new MultiCam uniform made by Crye Precision. The new uniform features the
White Ensign The White Ensign, at one time called the St George's Ensign due to the simultaneous existence of a cross-less version of the flag, is an ensign worn on British Royal Navy ships and shore establishments. It consists of a red St George's Cross on ...
on its sleeve to signify the connection of the Royal Marines to the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
for the first time as well as
British commando The Commandos, also known as the British Commandos, were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from Winston Churchill, for special forces that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe. Initially drawn ...
insignia inspired by the original designs made in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. In ,
43 Commando Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines The 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines (43 Cdo FP Gp RM), formerly Comacchio Company Royal Marines (1980–1983), Comacchio Group Royal Marines (1983–2001) and Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines (2001–2012), is a 550-man un ...
trialled the use of throwbots and handheld drones. On , it was reported that development on the MarWorks helmet camera was continuing and that 40 Commando were to begin testing prototypes. On , it was announced that a new ''Vanguard Strike Company'' would form to further develop the FCF concept during trials before trials in the remainder of 2020 and would deploy for the first time in 2021. In , it was reported that marines from 40 Commando had been experimenting with potential tactics to be used in the FCF, including working in smaller teams of 4, three of which make a troop of 12. Forbes reported the Royal Marines were acquiring an AI-enabled autonomous air system as part of the FCF, aligning with the "Autonomous Advanced Force" concept. In mid-September, the Royal Navy began the Littoral Response Group (Experimentation) (LRG(X)) deployment, which aimed to test the Littoral Strike concept and experiment with tactics for future LRGs. The LRG(X) task group reached Gibraltar by , where they practised techniques including abseiling and fast roping before the task group moved on. The LRG(X) task group reached Cyprus by the end of October, where they began experimenting with the use of drones, as part of ''Autonomous Advance Force 3''. The marines of LRG(X) went on to experiment with drones, video links, quadbikes, jet skis, ATAK tablets, and other novel equipment during the exercises in Cyprus, including ''Exercise Olympus Warrior''. Soon after, 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines continued experimentation with throwbots, RPAS, and ATAKs during ''Exercise Serpent Rock'' in Gibraltar. Marines from 45 Commando also used drones and ATAKs during training in Wales. In early , marines from
45 Commando 45 Commando Royal Marines (pronounced "four-five commando") is a battalion sized unit of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of th ...
further tested quadbikes, using them to move mortars rapidly. On , HMS Albion and the remainder of the LRG(X) task group arrived back in the UK, finishing the deployment. Later in December, marines from C Company, 40 Commando performed deep penetration missions in the Mojave Desert with a team from
United States Army Special Forces The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service Berets of the United States Army, headgear, are a special operations special operations force, force of the United States Ar ...
working against an opposing force from the USMC and worked in 12-man teams to further experiment with the FCF concept.


2021

In early March, it was reported that marines from A company, 40 Commando, were experimenting with Virtual Reality (VR) technology to augment existing training methods. Soon after, marines from 45 Commando experimented further with
Small unit tactics Small unit tactics is the application of US Army military doctrine for the combat deployment of platoons and smaller units in a particular strategic and logistic environment. The composition of a United States Army squad falls into three broad cat ...
in Norway. On , Forces News reported that the ''Vanguard Strike Company'', from marines of 40 Commando, had been performing exercises including night-time shooting and experimenting with working in 12-man teams. The ''Integrated Review'' was published on , followed by the corresponding defence command paper ''Defence in a Competitive Age'' on . The latter further described the FCF and Littoral strike concepts and LRGs in greater detail, announced £200 million would be invested into the FCF over the following decade, and, being a command paper, reinforces that they will continue to be developed to completion. Between May and June, the FCF and LRG concepts were further developed during the ''Littoral Response Group (North)'' deployment to Scotland, Norway, and the Baltic. The Army confirmed the contracts for the
Challenger 3 Challenger 3 (CR3) is a planned third generation British main battle tank in development for the British Army. It will be produced by conversion of existing Challenger 2 tanks by the British/German Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land joint venture. Impro ...
were signed on , and went on to state the new tank would be able to operate with the FCF in littoral and coastal regions. Later in May, members of
29th Commando Regiment Royal Artillery 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery is the Commando-trained unit of the British Army's Royal Artillery, based in Plymouth. The regiment is under the operational control of 3 Commando Brigade, to which it provides artillery support and gunnery ...
and
148 (Meiktila) Battery Royal Artillery 148 (Meiktila) Commando Forward Observation Battery is a specialist Naval Gunfire Support Forward Observation (NGSFO) unit within 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines. The unit provides Fire Support Teams (FS ...
carried out ''Exercise Fleet Battle Problem'', in which it was examined how artillery fire and airstrikes could be coordinated within the FCF. In late May, the
Commando Logistic Regiment The role of the Commando Logistic Regiment (CLR), Royal Marines is to provide second line Combat Service Support to 3 Commando Brigade. It is 3 Commando Brigade's dedicated logistic unit and provides all second line Combat Service Support to the ...
carried out ''Exercise Green Dragon'' to better understand how members of the FCF would remain supplied on operations. In July, marines of 40 Commando and
42 Commando 42 Commando (42 Cdo) (pronounced as Four-Two Commando) is a subordinate unit within the Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade. Based at Bickleigh Barracks near Plymouth, personnel regularly deploy outside the United Kingdom on operations or training. ...
performed mock raids using drone "swarms", used to resupply the marines, for the first time as part of ''Autonomous Advance Force 4.0''. Later in July, marines from 40 Commando continued trials of the Polaris MRZR, with potential use to transport "light strike teams". Further, marines from B Company, 40 Commando, took part in ''Exercise Talisman Sabre'' in Australia, where they continued to practice working in 12-man teams and with drones as they acted as an advance force ahead of the main landings. Ending in late September, ''Exercise Dynamic Mariner 21/Joint Warrior 21-2'', which saw HMS Prince of Wales being declared fully operational, involved FCF development. In late October, marines from 40 Commando took part in ''Exercise Green Dagger'' alongside the USMC, in which they used FCF tactics and explored how small commando teams would be resupplied, as part of the recently created ''Littoral Response Group (South)'' of the LRGs. It was reported that the USMC suffered a severe "defeat" to the Royal Marines, however, this is disputed and remains unclear. During the exercise, marines were pictured using the novel NightFighter X counter-UAV system. In December, a publication from the House of Commons Defence Committee, following its inquiry into the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
as a whole, expressed concern at insufficient funding for the FCF: "we are concerned that the Future Commando Force and the Littoral Response Groups are not properly resourced to continue amphibious operations". An October publication from
King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
's Centre for Defence Studies detailed how the FCF, if replacing the existing formation of the Royal Marines altogether, would represent a cut in personnel of ~43%: "...if this entails a reduction in size, it also entails a reduction of the one UK force designed explicitly to be expeditionary...".


2022

In February 2022, a troop of new Royal Marines recruits passed training having been exposed to and trained in novel FCF tactics and concepts. Later in February, a report published from the National Audit Office found that "the New Medium Helicopter and Future Commando Force programmes ... are currently underfunded". This added to other reports of underfunding of the FCF programme, as well as other initiatives from the Integrated Review. The government later responded to the National Audit Office, restating the commitment to the FCF and creating LRGs, mentioning investments made into the initiatives and planned upgrades to ships. It was reported that FCF tactics during ''Exercise Cold Response 2022'', which took place from March to April. In , Brigadier Mark Totten OBE, the director of the FCF programme, described how the FCF would be made up of ~4,000 marines, focus on both the Arctic and Suez Canal areas, and would work alongside the Navy's
UK Carrier Strike Group The UK Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG) is a carrier battle group of the Royal Navy. It has existed in various forms since the mid-2000s. Between 2006 and 2011, the formation centred around the Royal Navy's s until the retirement of their Harrier GR ...
.


See also

*
Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
*
Littoral Response Group A Littoral Response Group (LRG) is a Royal Navy task group consisting of at least two amphibious warfare ships, a company of Royal Marines and supporting elements primarily tasked with amphibious warfare from the littoral areas. They were first d ...
s *
Defence in a Competitive Age ''Defence in a Competitive Age'' is a Ministry of Defence command paper which was released on 22 March 2021. It provided details on changes to the armed forces to meet the requirements of the Integrated Review which was published before it on 16 ...


References


External links


Watch: What is the Future Commando Force?

Future Commando Force

Thoughts on the Future Commando Force


* ttps://www.puzzle-palace.com/community-articles/sunset-of-the-royal-marines-sunrise-of-the-future-commando-force Sunset of the Royal Marines; Sunrise of the Future Commando Force.
Reconciling the Old with the New: FCF and the Integrated Review

The Heavy Weapons Specialisation is the key to the Future Commando Force.
{{British Commando Forces Royal Marines personnel