Royal Marines part of new elite unit
Plan is part of Armed Forces overhaul
The Royal Marines are to be transformed into a new Future Commando Force to be deployed around the world on an “enduring basis” in an overhaul of the Armed Forces.
The Ministry of Defence said the Future Commando Force will take on many of the traditional tasks of the Special Forces, the SAS and SBS.
THE ROYAL Marines are to be transformed into a new Future Commando Force to be deployed around the world on an “enduring basis” in a major overhaul of the Armed Forces.
The Ministry of Defence said the Future Commando Force (FCF) will take on many of the traditional tasks of the Special Forces, the SAS and SBS, alongside a new Army Ranger Regiment announced last week.
The changes are to be set out in a Defence command paper, as forces are braced to lose some “industrial age” capabilities with older tanks, ships and warplanes to be axed or phased out early.
The biggest loser is expected to be the Army, amid reports that about 10,000 troops are to be cut, reducing its overall strength to around 72,500.
Following the publication last week of the Integrated Review of foreign and defence policy, Ministers said the changes are necessary to create a more agile military capable of countering evolving threats globally.
It will mean forces spending more time deployed overseas, either on operations or training, to support allies and to deter hostile powers such as Russia, identified in the Integrated Review as the “most acute threat” to the UK.
Ahead of the publication of the command paper, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “From striking Daesh terrorists in Iraq, disrupting drug shipments and deterring Russian aggression in the Baltics, our Armed Forces already reach where others cannot.
“In the coming years, we will broaden the spectrum of this worldwide engagement even further.
“Across a vast global footprint, we will be constantly operating to deter our adversaries and reassure our friends, integrating with our allies, and ready to fight should it be necessary.”
Overall, there will be more money for new capabilities such as electronic warfare and the development of autonomous systems such as drones.
The National Cyber Force will be expanded and there will be a new space command to co-ordinate the UK’s military and commercial space operations.
At the same time, the paper is expected to mean the Army’s Challenger 2 main battle tanks cut by a third and the Warrior infantry fighting vehicle and the C130J Hercules transport aircraft taken out of service altogether.
It is reported that 24 Typhoon fighters and four Type 23 frigates will be retired from service while new capabilities are developed with the Royal Navy’s 13 minesweepers reportedly in line to be replaced by underwater drones.
Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey said: “There’s a gulf between the Government’s ambitions and its actions, which is set to grow with this new review.”