Marine Fusilier Regiments (RFM or Marine Rifle Regiments) in are marine infantry regiments belonging to the

Algerian Navy The Algerian Naval Force (ANF; , ) is the naval branch of the Algerian military. The naval force operates from multiple bases along the country's nearly coastline, fulfilling its primary role of monitoring and defending Algeria's territorial water ...

. They are the Algerian equivalents of the

USMC The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...

History

The first Marine Rifle Battalions were created in 1986, the officer behind the creation of these units was General Abdelmadjid Chérif. The Marine Riflemen, like the Parachute Commandos of the

Algerian Land Forces The Algerian Land Forces (, ) are the Army, land forces of the Algerian People's National Army. The forces' equipment is mostly supplied by Russia and China. The forces include two armoured and two mechanised divisions, one of which is the 8th ...

, are recognised as elite units of the

Algerian Army The People's National Army (PNA) () is the military of the Algerian republic. It is the direct successor of the National Liberation Army (ALN), the armed wing of the nationalist National Liberation Front, which fought French colonial rule d ...

. Moreover, following the creation of these units, the Navy wanted to have a landing force that could operate in amphibious zones and that could lead to an operation in depth like their parachute counterparts in the Army. The Marine Riflemen are also a rapid-action and specialised operations force, they are fully autonomous and have their own logistics, combat and support capabilities. However, it was in 2005 that the Marine Commandos Corps was created with the release of its first class.

Organization

The Marine Rifle Regiments have an organization quite similar to their Parachute Commando counterparts in the

. There are currently 8 identified Marine Rifle Regiments: * 1st Marine Fusiliers Regiment "Martyr Housh Mohamed" of

Jijel Jijel (), the classical Igilgili, is the capital of Jijel Province in north-eastern Algeria. It is flanked by the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Corniche Jijelienne and had a population of 131,513 in 2008. Jijel is the administrative and trad ...

( ''Al-Fawj Al'awal Lilrumat al-Bahriiyn "Al-Shahid Housh Mohamed'') * 3rd Marine Fusiliers Regiment of Azzefoun ( ''Al-Fawj Al'awal Lilrumat al-Bahriiyn)'' * 4th Marine Fusiliers Regiment of

El Milia El Milia ( الميلية) is a town and Communes of Algeria, commune in Jijel Province, Algeria. The town of El Milia is located in the north-eastern Constantinois region. It lies between the cities of Jijel, Mila, Constantine and Skikda. The Me ...

( ''Al-Fawj al'rrabie Lilrumat al-Bahriiyn'') * 5th Marine Fusiliers Regiment of

Ténès Ténès (; from Berber TNS 'camping') is a town in Algeria located around 200 kilometers west of the capital Algiers. , it has a population of 65,000 people. History Ténès was founded as a Phoenician port in or before the 8th centuryBC. As ...

( ''Al-Fawj Al'awal Lilrumat al-Bahriiyn)'' * 7th Marine Fusiliers Regiment of Boumerdes ( ''Al-Fawj Al'awal Lilrumat al-Bahriiyn)'' * ''?? Marine Fusiliers Regiment of

Dellys Dellys (, Berber: Delles) is a small Mediterranean town in northern Algeria's coastal Boumerdès Province, almost due north of Tizi-Ouzou and just east of the Sebaou River. It is the district seat of the daïra of Dellys. The town is 45 ...

'' ( ''Al-Fawj Al'awal Lilrumat al-Bahriiyn)'' * ''?? Marine Fusiliers Regiment of Mers-El-Kebir'' ( ''Al-Fawj Al'awal Lilrumat al-Bahriiyn)'' * 12th Coastal Artillery Regiment of

Collo Collo (), known as Chullu in antiquity, is a port town in the Skikda Province in northeastern Algeria, and forms part of the Collo Massif region. It is the capital and one of three municipalities of the Collo District. Formerly a Phoenician t ...

"Martyr Ferendi Mohamed" ( ''Al-Fawj 12 Lilmadfaeiat al-Sahiliat "al-Shahid Ferendi Mohamed'')

The operational organization

The Marine Rifle Regiments are organized like all the regiments of the Algerian Army: * 1 General staff * 3 Fighting companies * 1 Logistics company * 1 Anti-tank company * 1 Recognition and support company * 1 Transmission company US Navy 060603-N-0938S-001 U

Tasks

Marine Fusiliers act primarily in the amphibious environment, in the maquis and on the seaside, Marine Fusiliers provide the material and human resources that enable them to carry out their missions, hence their autonomy. With the other units of the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

and

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

, it therefore deals with all operations in strategic areas, at depth and in hostile environments, such as : * Special reconnaissance * Specialized action in depth * Counter-terrorism on land and at sea * Amphibious support and sustainment to special operations (with special forces) * Recovery, protection and surveillance of strategic points * The fight against illicit trafficking at sea and on the Algerian coast * Protection of the Algerian coast from various threats (pollution, traffic...) * Securing the Algerian maritime space * Search and Rescue Support * The protection of strategic points belonging to the

Training

Marine Riflemen are trained at the Marine Rifle and Diver School (EFMP) in

. This school trains Marine Riflemen,

Marine Commandos The Marine Commandos () are a special forces unit of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). They are part of the Lebanese Special Operations Command (LSOCOM). Established with assistance from the United States Navy SEALs (U.S. Navy SEALs) and the Bri ...

and Combat Divers of the

and other army corps. Following his training, the student will be incorporated into a Marine Rifle Regiment and will then be able to pass specialized training such as mine clearance... or pass the selection and training to become a Marine Commando. In addition, Marine Riflemen also take part in training sessions abroad, notably in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

with the

, the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

and the

US NAVY The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

with the

San Marco Regiment The 1st San Marco Regiment (Italian: ''1° Reggimento San Marco''), located in Brindisi, is an amphibious formation of the Italian Navy. They are the Italian marines. Until the middle of the 1990s the unit was known as the San Marco Battalion ( ...

, and in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

with the FGNE and the

Marine Infantry Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

units.

Equipment and armaments

Armament

Handgun

* Glock 17 & 18 *

Caracal The caracal (''Caracal caracal'') () is a medium-sized Felidae, wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long ...

Assault rifle *

AKMS The AKM () is an assault rifle designed by Soviet small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1959. It was developed as the successor to the AK-47 adopted by the Soviet Union a decade prior. Introduced into service with the Soviet Army in 1959, ...

* AKM *

Type 56 The Type 56 (; literally; "Assault Rifle, Model of 1956") is a Chinese 7.62×39mm assault rifle. It is a licensed derivative of the Soviet-designed AK-47 (specifically the Type 3 variant). The Type 56 rifle was adopted by the People's Liber ...

Machine gun * PKM *

RPK The RPK (, English: "Kalashnikov's hand-held machine gun"), sometimes inaccurately termed the RPK-47, is a Soviet 7.62×39mm light machine gun that was developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the early 1960s, in parallel with the AKM assault rifl ...

Precision rifle * Zatsava M93 Black Arrow * SVD Others *

RPG 7 The RPG-7 is a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank Anti-tank warfare refers to the military strategies, tactics, and weapon systems designed to counter and destroy enemy armored vehicles, particularly tanks. It ori ...

Individual equipment

Spectra Helmet The SPECTRA helmet or CGF Gallet Combat Helmet is the PASGT-style ballistic helmet in use with the French military, and the armies of several other countries. Built by CGF Gallet (producer of the F1 helmet for firemen), it weighs , is avail ...

* Algerian Army lattice with DPM camouflage * Tactical vest *

Bullet-proof vest Bulletproofing is the process of making an object capable of stopping a bullet or similar high velocity projectiles (e.g. Fragmentation (weaponry), shrapnel). The term bullet resistance is often preferred because few, if any, practical materials ...

* Gloves * Knee and elbow pads * Thigh Holster (and Belt Holster) * Rangers * Protective goggles * Camelback * Fighting bag * Communication Headset

Vehicles

* Mercedes-Benz G Class *

Toyota Land Cruiser The , also sometimes spelt as LandCruiser, is a series of four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. It is Toyota's longest running series of models. , the sales of the Land Cruiser totalled more than 1 ...

Nissan Patrol The is a series of off-road vehicles and full-size SUVs manufactured by Nissan in Japan since 1951 and sold throughout the world. It is Nissan's longest running series of models. The Patrol has been available as either a short-wheelbase (SWB) ...

Mercedes-Benz Zetros The Mercedes-Benz Zetros is an off-road truck for extreme operations. It was first presented at the 2008 Eurosatory defence industry trade show in Paris. The Zetros is manufactured at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth am Rhein, Wörth, Germany. Th ...

Mercedes-Benz Unimog The Unimog (pronunciation in American English: ''YOU-nuh-mog''; British English: ''YOU-knee-mog''; German: , ) is a Daimler Truck line of multi-purpose, highly offroad capable AWD vehicles produced since 1948. Utilizing engine-driven power tak ...

* SNVI M 120 * SNVI M 230 * SNVI M 260

Special vehicles

BTR 80 The BTR-80 () is an 8×8 wheeled amphibious armoured personnel carrier (APC) designed in the Soviet Union. It was adopted in 1985 and replaced the previous vehicles, the BTR-60 and BTR-70, in the Soviet Army. It was first deployed during the S ...

Support vessels

* BDSL Kalaat Beni Abbes of San Giorgio class * Kalaat Beni Class Landing Vessel * Landing ship Polnochny class

Aeral

MI-17 The Mil Mi-17 (NATO reporting name: Hip) is a Soviet-designed Russian military helicopter family introduced in 1975 (Mi-8M), continuing in production at two factories in Russia, in Kazan and Ulan-Ude. It is known as the Mi-8M series in Russia ...

of the

Algerian Air Force The Algerian Air Force (, ) is the aerial arm of the Algerian People's National Army. History The Algerian Air Force was created to support the fight of the People's National Army against the French occupying forces. It came as part of the ...

References

{{Reflist Algerian National Navy Military units and formations of Algeria Fusilier regiments Marines