Royal Marines to be given new role in elite naval unit

ROYAL Marines will be withdrawn from conventional infantry roles and reassigned to a new naval special operations unit supporting the UK's elite Special Boat Service (SBS).

- By Marco Giannangeli

The radical restructuring was confirmed during last week's NATO summit, where military chiefs warned of rising threats from Russia and non-state actors.

Though technically part of the Royal Navy, the Marines played a leading role in bolstering infantry ground operations during both the Iraq War and the conflict in Afghanistan.

Now the Commandos will be expected to support special operations, rapid-response missions and humanitarian tasks including deployments alongside the UK Carrier Strike Group.

The force will form part of the UK's "offer" to NATO, with 45 Commando committed to holding the line against Vladimir Putin's Russian forces along the Finnish and Norwegian borders.

It will operate with UK Special Forces from a new permanent base in Norway known as Camp Viking.