Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines (FPGRM) are the independent naval protection forces within the British Royal Marines . Their main task is the protection and defense of ships and installations of the Royal Navy at home and abroad. She is also responsible for protecting British nuclear weapons.

history

The FPGRM was set up on May 1, 1980 in Arbroath on the Scottish east coast as the Comacchio company. Their mission was to protect nuclear weapons in depots and on transports and to secure Britain's oil drilling capacities from terrorist or subversive attacks. Such a unit would normally have been numbered with the Royal Marines (in this case 43 Commando ). Since this force was only to be used domestically, a different type of naming was chosen and the new unit was named after a battle in northern Italy at the end of the Second World War.

The company was enlarged at the end of 1983 and renamed the Comacchio Group. After the expansion, the unit had two companies (O and P Company). Originally, it was planned that each company would specialize in one of the missions. It soon became clear, however, that the task of guarding British nuclear capacities would tie up strong forces from both companies. Despite the tense personnel situation, the requirements profile of the Comacchio Group was expanded to include maritime anti-terrorism operations, such as hostage rescue or the recapture of ships and oil drilling platforms .

In mid-1987, all Royal Marines counter-terrorism units were transferred to the SBS . A new unit for maritime anti-terrorism operations was set up in the Special Boat Service. The Commacchio Group lost this order, but its staffing levels were not changed. The Comacchio Group was now able to concentrate fully on securing nuclear weapons.

In September 1992 the Commacchio Group was greatly expanded. The number of infantry platoons per company was increased from two to four platoons, and each unit was assigned a company command element. In addition, a third company (R Company) was set up. This enlargement to almost battalion strength showed how important the nuclear security mission is.

In 2001 the unit was enlarged again and renamed from Comacchio Group to Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines (FPGRM). A staff company was founded to ensure independent management and administration. The P Company was renamed the S Company and the home base was relocated from Arbroath to Faslane-on-Clyde in western Scotland.

The FPGRM is currently providing boarding teams for Operation Banner , a maritime anti-terrorist operation off the coast and in the ports of Northern Ireland . The FPGRM is currently used in embargo operations such as UNIFIL . In addition, Fleet Standby Rifle Troops are stationed on every major ship in the Royal Navy for this purpose.

assignment

The task of the FPGRM is still the defense of the British nuclear capacities inland in the nuclear weapons depots in Faslane and Coulport as well as on transports. Since these assignments are partially carried out in Germany, mastering the established Rules of Engagement (ROE) is the top priority. Another main job is the defense of naval facilities and ships at home and abroad. They have a similar task to the naval protection forces of the German Navy .

This includes defending the Naval Headquarters in Northwood, near London. The Royal Marines occupy key positions here. In this task they support the police units of the Ministry of Defense. The FPGRM also has boarding teams. These teams are known as Fleet Standby Rifle Troops (FSRT). They are used in worldwide missions on ships of the Royal Navy. Mostly on frigates and destroyers , as these ships have helicopters and speedboats - ideal transportation options for the Royal Marines. Boarding operations can be carried out very quickly in order to take action against smugglers and terrorists. See also boarding .

structure

The FPGRM is based in Faslane-on-Clyde in western Scotland . It consists of a staff squadron (HQ Squadron) and three infantry squadrons, called Rifle Squadron (O, R and S Squadron). The O and R Squadron are responsible for the defense of British nuclear weapons , which are located in the Faslane Naval Base, the Coulport Depot or on transports. The O and R Squadron consist of a command group with the commanding officer and his staff as well as four infantry platoons. The S Squadron provides the personnel to guard some particularly sensitive areas of the headquarters in Northwood. The FSRTs assigned to the individual units in the fleet also usually belong to the S Squadron. For this reason, the S Squadron is divided into different areas below the leadership group. The unit is flexible and can meet all requirements that are placed on it.

education

The training is based on the possible application scenarios. The training in the FPGRM builds on the already above-average performance of the Royal Marines. The focus is on hand-to-hand combat and urban and urban combat , both with and without weapons. When guarding transports and during boarding operations, it is important to master various forms of violence and to correctly assess dangerous situations. A special focus is placed on this. The FPGRM also has a shooting house in which the handling of live weapons can be practiced. The troops then practice handling boats and helicopters as well as boarding ships. The skills learned in this training are then practiced in maneuvers down to platoon level in order to achieve the highest possible level of training. Further training sections are personal protection and property protection.

swell

  • Elite units in the world. Atlas Publishing House