Regeneration

Royal Marines Regeneration and Development

The previous page was: "Navy Grog"

Since 1664 the Royal Marines have been through many periods of Regeneration and Development. In those times the Navy had wooden ships powered by sail; it took a lot of manpower to keep them sailing efficiently.

It took a large number of Marines to keep the ships protected whether at the side of the great cannons or fighting in the boarding and landing parties. The action was often furious both sides fighting until all was lost. Captured notorious pirates had their heads removed and hung from the bowsprits of the Navy's ships.

The Marines skill with their weapons have played a major part in their success. It first came to light with the musket when they could load their muskets two or three times quicker than their enemy. Their theory that men twice as good at handling their weapons, and twice as fit as their enemy, could be at a greater advantage in combat; and it has been proven to be correct.

Regeneration and Development depends on many things like situations; whether a country is at war or having a peacetime respite between wars, trends; change in transport, weapons, or training for specific reasons, modernising; change in uniforms or barrack routines and advancement in new techniques or understanding the use of the many new items as and when they become available.

Navy Grog

Technology is of the first importance

In today's modern Navy the emphasis is on technology; the power used for everything is far more powerful than ever before. Bigger ships can go faster with smaller crews using the latest state of the art equipment and designs. With hardly any gunnery type armament and less emphasis for fighting boarding parties; you might think the need for Marines is minimal.

How wrong your thoughts are; over the years the Royal Marines have strived to master the finest techniques of warfare like no other combatant. They learnt long ago to take the fight to the enemy and to fight him in his heartland while sparing no quarter. It's not something they have picked up along the way; it's an ethos of their character; it's their adaptable attitude that allows them to fulfil their aspirations.

Royal Marines have always learnt quickly the importance of Regeneration and Development and have adapted accordingly. When the Army comes up with new ideas like: 'Commandos' or new equipment then again the Royal Marines have to take note; and they do. This along with their own interpretations of 'Battle Proceedures' have to be approved by them before they can be incorporated or integrated into their services.

The Corps is always on the look-out for significant new equipment or ideas that will deliver marked improvements to their fire-power, protection and situational awareness. Such enhancements are critical to the ongoing development of the Royal Marines as they are the United Kingdom's premier amphibious and expeditionary combat force.

The Iraq War

Back in June 2005 the Commandant General Royal Marines, in his role as Commander of the United Kingdom Amphibious Forces and his Battle Staff, deployed to Iraq to command the Multi-National Division South East. His 'Battle Staff' provided the core of the headquarters, which also included personnel from each of the contributing nations serving in Southern Iraq.

In addition to commanding the United Kingdom's largest operational commitment, it continued to train and develop an indigenous Iraqi security capability which successfully enabled the first national elections to take place for 25 years.

The Corps also provided specialist units in support of Operation TELIC V, contributing significantly to the intelligence picture of the area, at both Brigade and Divisional level.

The Royal Marines Reserve also played a prominent role; a troop of RMR ranks mobilised to Iraq in the autumn of 2005 and maintained a commitment until April 2006, a total of 9 months.

The latest equipment

In order to enhance its organic war-fighting capability, the Royal Marines now operate a number of new equipments, vehicles that offer a considerable level of protection to the sections of marines they carry. These agile and powerful vehicles represents a significant improvement in mobility, commensurate with the requirements of the United Kingdoms ubiquitous amphibious landing force.

Impressive anti tank missile systems are noted for their precision and lethality. The digitised communications system has significantly enhanced the Royal Marines fighting capabilities and operational effectiveness of the Corps. This system has vastly improved the situation awareness and the ability to transmit secure voice and data down to the lowest levels of command in the demanding environments that the Commandos often operate in.

By combining secure speech and data communications with the capacity of the battlefield e-mail network, the situational awareness of commanders at all levels has improved markedly. Their ability to comprehend a fast-moving battlefield situation enables them to identify and react to events faster than their counterparts.

Military combat allows the modern Royal Marines Commando to demonstrate his skills gained from experience and the relevance of the diverse and specialist training he receives. The Commando is still a relatively novel concept it commensurates with the aspiration to achieve maximum effect without the risk of landing a large support element.

Exercise and training is essential

When on exercise whether it is in a humid Jungle, arrid Desert or Cold Weather Warfare, skills have to be practiced regularly; because warfare skills fade quickly.

A Commando has to maintain his fitness and learn new techniques to stay up to date and be one step ahead of his enemy. It is imperative for Units to exercise with all the key support elements within the brigade and in a realistic war fighting scenario.

As well as maintaining the Corps' premier cold weather warfare capability, the deployment also permits an opportunity to operate new systems and equipment at Brigade level in an extremely demanding cold weather environment.

At very short notice the Royal Marine Commandos can be ready for combat, ready to fight anywhere in the world in any conditions. There is no limit to their fighting talents or their capabilities; give them a job and they will get on with it without hesitation.

The Rules of Engagement

For the combatant today Regeneration and Development means the modern rules-of-engagement have to be adhered to. There are politicians and other people in offices who dictate whether a soldier can put his finger on the trigger and sqeeze it or not.

For example: Recently the navy confronted a suspicious high speeding craft far out at sea a long way out from their coast, suspecting pirates the navy went and investigated.

The men in the boat were heavily armed with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades and they had all of the other paraphernalia used for Piracy. They looked like villains who would cut your throat if they'd had the advantage.

When the naval officer in charge asked them; "why are you carrying all of those weapons?" They replied: "in case we are attacked by pirates."

The officer was in permanent radio contact with his ship and was ordered to let the suspected pirates continue on their way. But not before checking to see if they had enough fuel to get home.

The days are long gone where a soldier who is trained to kill his enemy with his bare hands, or to point a gun in his face and shoot him dead, is allowed to do that. A fully trained combatant Using his own common sense is no longer permitted. Today he has to let his known enemy pass to carry out his evil deeds somewhere else. Now that adaptability really is Regeneration and Development.

RMA – CTCRM – 19 Sep 10

Commandant-General Royal Marines Parade Speech

My brother Royal Marines – it is an enormous honour and privilege for me to stand here, to return your salute today, and to have the chance briefly to speak to you all. And I shall be brief.

There are perhaps two things I might touch upon and they respectively represent the Strategic and the Tactical Main Efforts of the Corps currently.

The first and Strategic issue is the Defence and Security Review which is now approaching it final stages. In principle it will be completed by the end of this month and woven into the Comprehensive Spending Review, which determines what money all other government departments will get, too, and is published on 20 October. You will have doubtless read and heard much on this subject – and I have tried to keep you informed through the Globe and Laurel. What will it mean for the Corps? Well even at this late juncture, it is difficult to judge confidently, despite being closely engaged throughout. The best that any branch of the Services might hope for is to emerge approximately as it went into the Review. The cuts being envisaged are indeed eye-watering in their severity and everyone will likely feel some pain.

But as Napoleon said ‘A leader is a dealer in hope’ and my judgement is that when all the ‘heat and light’ dissipates, the Royal Marines will be substantially unchanged: our utility now – proven in Iraq and, particularly, in Afghanistan; our value for money; our flexibility and relevance in projected future operational scenarios; and the extraordinary quality and adaptability of the ‘average’ Bootneck – (if that isn’t a contradiction in terms) – will ensure that our Lovat cloth is not pared back by much.

The seven large ships – the assets which collectively make 3 Commando Brigade, amphibious – these must also be justified whilst the future of all the Royal Navy’s other capabilities is scrutinised. And you will have seen endless column inches, alone, on the Future Carriers. The trick will be not to lose things which cannot somehow sensibly be regenerated in a couple of year’s time, when Britain’s finances have achieved a surer footing. We are working hard, with that aim.

The Tactical Main Effort is the operation in Afghanistan – HERRICK. The Brigade on return from summer leave began its pre-deployment training in earnest and will deploy, almost in toto, in late Spring next year. In contrast, 40 Commando will formally handover Sangin district to the 3rd Battalion 7 Regiment of the United States Marine Corps in just a couple of days. They will then act as a battalion manoeuvre force for a few weeks, before starting to return home.

You will be unsurprised to hear that they have done a quite exceptional job under the most challenging of circumstances. Twenty one men from the battlegroup – 14 from the Commando - have fallen; 76 men have been wounded, 58 of them Bootnecks. But their spirit has remained indomitable throughout their tour and when I visited them in June, their mad, mischievous sense of humour was much in evidence. They have, particularly, in the past 6 weeks and with the assistance of our US cousins, taken the fight to the enemy and made demonstrable progress in providing security to a beleaguered and unyielding place.

In his last letter to me, Paul James – the Commanding Officer of Forty – described the exploits of a Lieutenant Jack Anstruther – who had been shot twice whilst commanding his men, but had refused to be evacuated or to receive morphine in order to maintain his clarity of thought. He had, during the contact run forward into the beaten zone to carry a wounded Afghan soldier to safety. Gallant stuff by any one’s measure! Yet his Troop brought him swiftly back down to earth at Bastion hospital.

Wondering why all the doctors and nurses had, since his arrival been less than sympathetic, and certainly not as attentive as any British wounded young hero might reasonably expect, he discovered that his Boys has exploited his particularly heavily suntanned and swarthy appearance and written ‘Local Interpreter’ in bold letters across his medical documents! Yes, their – if not his morale is just fine ...

Finally ...

Brigadier Townsend wrote this of the Union Army at the Grand Review on 23 May 1864, during the American Civil War. ‘But here were the war- worn and generally shabbily-clad veterans, whose battles were finished. Before, on their way to the field, their new and fresh-looking banners were borne with the air of men determined to stand by them to the last. Now they were brought back torn in shreds by bullets, and dingy with the smoke of war, vastly more prized than ever, and sending to the hearts of spectators a strange thrill of admiration for those men who had fulfilled their silent pledge, and brought back what was left of their colours, enveloped in glorious histories.’ Well this gathering – though certainly not ‘shabbily clad’ – evokes a similar ‘thrill of admiration’. Thank you.

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