Royal Marines

Corps of Royal Marines
Crest
Founded	1664 - present
Country	United Kingdom
Allegiance	Elizabeth II
Branch	Her Majesty's Naval Service
Type	Marine commando
Role	Expeditionary & amphibious warfare
Size	7,760 Royal Marines 750 Royal Marines Reserve
Naval Staff Offices	Whitehall, London, England
Nickname(s)	Royals Bootnecks The Commandos Jollies
Motto(s)	"Per Mare, Per Terram" (Latin) "By Sea, By Land"
Colours	Blue Gold Green Red
March	Quick: "A Life on the Ocean Wave" Slow: "Preobrajensky"
Engagements	List Second Anglo-Dutch War Third Anglo-Dutch War Williamite War in Ireland War of the Spanish Succession War of Jenkins' Ear Seven Years' War American Revolutionary War French Revolutionary Wars War of 1812 Napoleonic Wars Crimean War First Opium War Second Opium War Indian Mutiny Māori Wars Anglo-Satsuma War Expedition to Abyssinia Anglo-Ashanti wars Anglo-Egyptian War Mahdist War Second Boer War Boxer Rebellion First World War Russian Civil War Second World War Insurgency in Palestine Civil War in Palestine Korean War Suez Crisis Malayan Emergency Cyprus dispute Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation Aden Emergency The Troubles Dhofar Rebellion Falklands War Persian Gulf War Bosnian War Kosovo War Sierra Leone Civil War Iraq War Intervention in Libya War in Afghanistan
Website	www.royalnavy.mod.uk/royalmarines
Commanders
Captain General	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
First Sea Lord	Sir Philip Jones
Commandant General	Major General Robert Magowan
Insignia
Non‑ceremonial flag

The Corps of Royal Marines (RM) is the United Kingdom's amphibious light infantry force, forming part of the Naval Service, along with the Royal Navy. The Royal Marines were formed in 1755 as the Royal Navy's infantry troops. However, the marines can trace their origins back to the formation of the English Army's "Duke of York and Albany's maritime regiment of Foot" at the grounds of the Honourable Artillery Company on 28 October 1664.

As a highly specialised and adaptable light infantry force, the Royal Marines are trained for rapid deployment worldwide and capable of dealing with a wide range of threats. The Royal Marines are organised into a light infantry brigade (3 Commando Brigade) and a number of separate units, including 1 Assault Group Royal Marines, 43 Commando Royal Marines formerly Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines (previously the Comacchio Group), and a company strength commitment to the Special Forces Support Group. The Corps operates in all environments and climates, though particular expertise and training is spent on amphibious warfare, arctic warfare, mountain warfare, expeditionary warfare, and its commitment to the UK's Rapid Reaction Force.

Throughout its history, the Royal Marines have seen action in a number of major wars often fighting beside the British Army – including the Seven Years' War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, World War I and World War II. In recent times the Corps has been largely deployed in expeditionary warfare roles such as the Falklands War, the Gulf War, the Bosnian War, the Kosovo War, the Sierra Leone Civil War, the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan. The Royal Marines have close international ties with allied marine forces, particularly the United States Marine Corps and the Netherlands Marine Corps (Dutch: Korps Mariniers). Today, the Royal Marines are an elite fighting force within the British Armed forces, having undergone many substantial changes over time.