A historic Royal Marines commando name has been revived, with the Commando Logistic Regiment to become 48 Commando Support Group Royal Marines, the Royal Navy stated.
The change, approved by King Charles, restores a name last carried by a unit raised in the Second World War. According to the Royal Navy, it retires the Commando Logistic Regiment title after 54 years of sustaining operations including the Falklands Conflict, two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, while preserving the unit’s role in providing expeditionary logistics from ship to shore for the UK Commando Force. The change becomes official on 1 August 2026.
The Royal Navy said the new name aligns the unit with the naming conventions of the UK Commando Force, which comprises 24, 29, 30, 40, 42, 43, 45, 47 and now 48 Commando, and reinforces its position as a fighting component rather than solely a logistics organisation. Based at Chivenor in North Devon, the unit will continue to provide supply to the front line, transport, combat and surgical medical care, refuelling, ammunition supply, drone operations, vehicle repair and recovery, and protected movement using armoured vehicles including the Viking.
Commanding Officer of 48 Commando, Lieutenant Colonel Jolyon Simpson, was quoted in the press release as saying: “This name change marks the coming together of traditions: 48 Commando’s offensive actions on Juno Beach and the assault on German gun batteries in Walcheren in 1944 with CLR’s 54 years of sustainment operations across the Falklands War, two wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and other global operations.”
He added: “The combination reflects the reality of contemporary warfare, that there is no distinction in combat between fighting units and those that sustain them. The marines, soldiers, and sailors of 48 Commando must stay in the fight to keep others in the fight.”
The original 48 Commando was raised in 1944, the last of the Second World War commando units, and landed alongside Canadian forces on Juno Beach on D-Day a little under three months later. In November 1944 the unit fought at Walcheren in the Netherlands, a battle vital to freeing the approaches to the port of Antwerp. Simpson said the name would now carry forward the history of both units, adding that the change brought a responsibility to maintain soldiering excellence and sustainment expertise.
General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, the First Sea Lord and Commandant General Royal Marines, was quoted in the press release as saying: “For more than half a century, the Commando Logistic Regiment has sustained major operations including in the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan. Its new name, 48 Commando, is a continuation of that proud record, while also honouring the legacy of those who fought to liberate Europe during the Second World War.”
He added: “However, this is about more than just a name. It is a recognition of new ways of operating, being more dispersed on the battlefield, with greater resilience, and acting more independently to better serve the modern Commando Force. The title 48 Commando is a clear acknowledgment of that transformation.”
Brigadier Richard Morris, Commander of the UK Commando Force, was quoted in the press release as saying: “The re-birth of 48 Commando aligns neatly with the launch of the UK Commando Force in June of this year. 48 Commando therefore joins the other eight Commando units to provide a globally deployable amphibious strike force, capable of operating in the most demanding of environments, against the hardest targets. Optimised for operations in Europe, it draws upon a heritage that incorporates Operation Overlord, ensuring that the history of the Royal Marines is woven into the future force.”
It’s a “fighting component” as the RM ASG, with Viking, which was reduced to the RM ASS, Armoured Support Squadron, was then further downgraded and was absorbed into the Regiment….sorry, Commando!
If we’d bought as much additional kit as we’ve rebranded units and commands we’d be in a much better place.
Yep agreed. a modern commando unit needs large volumes of cheap survalliance and attack drones backed up by artillery from range. The RM don’t have either. Viking has a lot of potential but it needs proper fire power.
Does a 120mm mortar count for range?
They don’t have a 120mm though. Don’t they have 40mm but normally only fitted with a light machine gun.
Sorry, I didn’t add context to my post, I was considering artillery for the RM going forward.
I wasn’t referring to the Viking ATAVs, but your comment on needing “artillery from range.”
The UKCF is supported by 29 ( Cdo ) Regiment RA, using 12 ( i think ) 105 mm Light Guns.
As you’ll know, this has been the artillery asset of the RM and the Airborne for decades.
There’s a plan afoot to replace the LG with the 120mm mortar.
There are only 3 Regular Regiments with the LG, 29RA, 7 RHA which supports the Paras, and 4 RA, due to get RCH155.
So I’m assuming that 120mm is coming to the RM, wondered about it’s range.
There’s also of course NGFS which 29 RA supports with 148 Battery, but in this day and age with a lack of suitable escorts and the dangers of getting too close to hostile shores that might not be a certainty.
I can’t see sea based bombardment being an option. Only the t26 /t45 has a gun for it and they will be needed for escort duty further out. The t31 seems too limited range for it.
KDNS Website suggests up to 9km range. There was also a article on Army Technology that Babcock were working with Perfect Bore Manufacturing to produce the barrels in the UK ( That was in 2024)
Thanks, so wiki says 17km for LG, massive difference.
seems an odd replacement for LG
It certainly is “globaly deployable” but won’t get far with 3 Bays, of which often only 1 has been available through refit or use as a MCM mother vessel.
The Brigadeer also omitted the fact the the LRG N and S are effectively dead through lack of enabling assets ( the ships! )
and in emphasising it’s global role the RM now seem more concentrated in Norway than ever.
Oh, and 847 NAS is going to the wall as it’s Wildcats are being cut, another enabler out the window.
But yes, D Day traditions and all that, rename a unit of 50 years standing, clearly a vast improvement in the capability, effectiveness, and readiness of the CLR and wider Corps of RM.
🙄
I looked and then thought you had said it all mate. Lots of fancy sounding “stuff” all over the place these days but precioius little substance, at least for the next ten years. 😒
Just when they really got into the post cold war Commando raider stride, the reset button was hit and reinforcement of Norway and the potential of fighting Ivan in the far north is as relevant now, as it was in 1988.
The difference now is fighting in the far north could also include Sweden and Finland!!
If we had had a ‘proper’ defence review, not a cost cutting exercise with added drones, it would clearly show the need to restore the full Commando Brigade, expand and update it with all the modern bells and whistles.
I don’t think it would take much, given the manpower and units still available.
The Grey Zone is a thing, though, and the RM I think want to go after that and not leave it just to the Army.
Which is where I think the problems are, as the Corps seems to be caught in between doing both, rather than doing one well.
As always the SDR was about not spending what we should on what we need. No great surprise. The RM’s are in a state of limbo though. They have had three “roles” in as many years. The amphibious force is no more, and despite some of the nonsense we read here, who realistically is going to storm a beach in the 2030’s anyway; the MRSS has disappeared so the North/South Commando concept has disappeared with it; which leaves the high north. If that is the role now, at least until the next review, it needs to be of sufficient size to make a real difference.
Absolutely, I would personally build up the Commando force up to around the 10,000 mark.
Restore Brigade operations and fully support the Commando Raider concept.
As you quite rightly say, with the exception of raiding, nobody today is going to try and put a Brigade over a beach, except the USMC, but they can bring the might of the US Navy to the table and enough effectors to the fight, that they can literally smash their way ashore with sheer firepower and absorb losses.
The Royal Marines need to operate over the horizon, they need to be able to have sufficient airlift to move a Commando to target, or a Brigade with the time.
The new amphibious ships might fit the bill, but they are very much about moving and supporting a single Commando (when working together) with their 15,000 ton displacement.
Airlift is totally inadequate too, as are the effectors to protect and support them on the ground.
Are we actually going to see more synergy with the Paras, as their respective roles increasingly dovetail together ?
Hi John. Sorry for the delay but I’ve been a bit rough the last 3/4 days.
I would love to see an expansion, but realistically? I don’t know what recruting is like these days, but a shift to 6/7,000 should be possible. Anti piracy, insertion, protection and raiding all come to mind of course. A Sierra Leone operation probably. Beyond that we have the problem of range and not getting too close. Essentially we have the carriers, nothing else with a serious helicopter capability and are helo’s enough? A V22 like airframe maybe but with the money we’re likely to spend is that realistic. The new “transport ” ships are not going to be any good unless they are through deck.
I agree with you about our creating a highly mobile force. The Royal’s Rara’s and maybe even the Rangers could be a formidable force worldwide. The problem as always is that we need a government that want’s to do it properly, and I’m not holding my breath.
So we’re back to the high north.
Evening Geoff, sorry to hear that, hope you’re feeling better now mate.
Everything has a half arsed feel to it doesn’t it…
Thanks John. Some sort of bug.. AOK now. Half arsed…again!
Hi Daniele.. I did read earlier during the week a second Bay is coming back into service. Helps the cause a little bit.
The BAYs are up to 20yrs old and can Expect a step change in work now that Albion,Bulwark and Argus are Gone..
Not sure just how long they will last. !?
Our next t23 moment maybe drawing close.
I agree they are focusing on Norway, it’s seems with the selection of the joint commando craft the RM will no longer need amphibious ships to deploy to Norway. The JCC is designed for over the horizon deployment and has sufficient range to self deploy to Norway from Scotland.
This is not a dissimilar approach to what the USMC and Australia are looking at with the LST 100 i.e. marine forces operating independently of amphibious assault groups inside A2/AD bubbles however in the RM case they seem to have gone with something smaller, much faster and stealthy.
Personally I think the RM should very much focus on operations in Norway, it’s where they are most needed and where they can add the greatest value.
Now Finland is in NATO we have the ability to hold Murmansk at threat. Holding a Commando force at Camp Viking will tie down large numbers of Russian forces in the event of a conflict in the Baltics even without taking any action.
The prospect of the RM staging a modern day Copenhagen or Raid on the Medway involving the Northern fleet will give Russia serious pause for thought. Russia is probably having kittens over this given just how isolated Murmansk is and how close it is to NATO territories.
Another great move in Putin’s 4D chess,
With in the region of 15,000 soldiers and upwards of 150 aircraft in the immediate area the Russians must be worried sick at the prospect of 400 Commando’s attacking them..🤔
You’re overlooking the fact that the entire Kola Peninsula is dependent upon a single railway and road for supplies. With them both often being situated next to each other especially when crossing rivers.
It would t be difficult to cut Murmansk etc off from the whole of Russia.
BTW you have heard of something called NATO? Because the Commandos wouldn’t be on their own.
Interestingly, the Germans tried that in 1942 onwards and failed. But yes, a raid into that area cutting that artery would be effective.
OH, NATO.. I hadn’t heard of that🤔
Doesn’t surprise me to hear that given the ignorance shown in your comments.
Silly Comment..
15,000 troops against the RM + Scandinavia.
However the main aim is to tie down Russian troops especially in an area that’s remote and only served by a single railway and road that can be cut off easily.
This also prevents Russia from simply packing a single small battlefield in the Baltic.
One would have thought Russia would greatly reinforce their 15000 troops in the area if a conflict was imminent…?
To a degree, but there are limits. There is only so much logistics you can send up a road that also needs to supply Murmansk as well, and both Finland and Russia are in a good position to trade ground for time in the North. Arguably if your a NATO commander you’d happily see Russia having to send troops to defend Kola instead of defending St Peterburg or attacking Narva.
Ah, so now we’re including the whole of Scandinavia? Your penultimate paragraph Jim was about the RM’s staging an attack I believe.
Seriously, do you think that a single Battalion would stage any sort of of Operational level attack on it’s own without support from the neighbouring few divisions?
No., of course I don’t. You might want to read Jims article first. That was what my post was about.
I did. It might surprise you to learn that I read these in order.
You’re right. I am surprised.
Well when you don’t think, I guess a lot of stuff is surprising.
The CGIs of the Commando Insertion Craft certainly look impressive.
The proof of the pudding will be how many they buy. They’re to replace the LCVPs, there is a lesser known programme to replace the bigger LCUs but apparently there’s no funding for it before 2030
Having other people hold things, a threat is just embarrassing.. for the love of God, how many actual soldiers are in this mighty unit? And how in the hell are they going to get anywhere??
LRG(N) still just about exists, in the form of RFA Mounts Bay which has now returned to service. Lyme Bay is still killing time at the Port of Duqm in Oman, on standby for potential MCM ops in the Straits of Hormuz. Duqm is a seriously unpleasant location at this time of year, and I expect many of her 280 crew/NP have or will return home soon, albeit on 48 hours notice to fly back out. After two years nominally in refit, the future of Cardigan Bay remains uncertain due to the lack of a crew. If is confirmed that Fort Victoria will re-enter service next year, then there seems no chance Cardigan Bay will also return to service in the near future.
I do worry about the road the Corps has gone down in the last 10 years. Constantly trying to reinvent into something I don’t think they even know what it is. With no LPH or LPD the bay class either not available or pretending to be something they are not elsewhere. Clearly they are no longer an amphibious force. Capability is constantly being watered down. Inserting the word Commando into a unit title seems to be an attempt to make a unit sound like something it is not. Baby and bathwater springs to mind. I understand trying to stay relative but don’t forget your roots.
The military is and always will be in constant state of flux. Always rebranding with a new set of acronyms. Nothing really changes, it is just a different sign above the door. It gives the impression of a busy organisation trying to.improve to the politicians. Its all bullshit. In afew years another bright idea will come along and these current changes will be old hat, and on we go again, on the bus off the bus.
It’s an old trick many companies use..
Rebranding an old horse that does the same thing… it costs a few quid but seems to keep the management on the golf course happy.
Im afraid its the old tail wagging the dog, making the Royal Marines fit into a declining level of military capability, all of a sudden, they are ‘Commando Raiders’, Brigade operations abandoned along with a good amount of the necessary equipment as they try to keep them relevant with a declining budget.
We can only hope the new reality starts to change things for the better. What are they now, highly skilled (the best in the World) Maritime light infantry, or second tier SF???
Silly comment, Geoff.. I should say .
We Americans seem determined these days to alienate our long-standing allies. Commandos will be needed in the next fight.
While Assets are important..MANPOWER seems to be the Militaries biggest problem.. If the RN/RFA etc Don’t have the manpower to operate these assets be they ships or even Drones then were stuck in first gear..!
I think the money spent on “re-branding” would have been better spent in allowing the various armed forces to recruit directly getting rid of the 18 month to 2 year waiting around with Capita/Serco. By getting rid of these “middle man” they would be saving money and the RM/RN/RFA along with the Army and RAF can start to fill their ranks with people who might not tick all the boxes but are keen to join up.
Clearly there’s a problem..perhaps the Politicians don’t want to see it..
I don’t think the politicians have wanted to see it for quite a few years now, It is quit ironic that just today in the news our political elite are telling us that the UK is spending too much money on the unemployed youth yet make it so hard to join the forces, get an apprenticeship yet they promote the idea of going to university and getting into debt over starting work an paying your bills.
When will the Royal Navy/ Royal Marines consider reviving 41 Cdo Royal Marines? From 1943, they took part in all four major seaborne landings. Sicily,Salerno (Italy) Normandy and Walcheren.
Another rename, jolly good! As I said to Rob Magowan who was my boss in Afghanistan (words to that effect), “it’s like those Romanians who fleece the tourists on Westminster Bridge, no matter what they call the game this week. It is the same game, with the same cups and the same balls. It is Bullshit Baffles Brains, for the civvy world”.