1 Rifles to 3 CDO BDE RM April 1st

Taken from the RN Official news

From 1 April 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines will expand to include 1 RIFLES within its permanent establishment, giving Brigade a fourth combat unit.

1 RIFLES – based in Chepstow - join 3 Commando Brigade as they prepare for operations in Afghanistan. As part of their normal operational cycle 1 RIFLES are currently deployed to Belize conducting Jungle Warfare Training and are expected to return to UK in early April, prior to deploying to Afghanistan.

The transfer of I RIFLES under FLEET command will enhance the defence capability of 3 Commando Brigade by allowing FLEET to provide both a Brigade on standby and simultaneously deploy a unit to other tasks, and represents a continuation of the very close co-operation which Royal Navy and Army already enjoy.

Initial integration into 3 Commando Brigade is expected by the end of April 2008, with full integration, including a specialist amphibious training, by Apr 2010.

Although there is no requirement for 1 RIFLES to become fully Commando trained at unit level, opportunities will become available to individuals to volunteer to undertake the All-Arms Commando Course at the Commando Training Centre, Lympstone.


1 RIFLES is one of 5 light role infantry battalions currently attributed to Small Scale Peace Keeping tasks, which collectively are know as the ‘RIFLES’.

The ‘RIFLES’ have a long history, including links to the great 19th Century General Sir John Moore and the Peninsular Campaign. The historical series, “Sharpe” starring Sean Bean dramatises the antecedents of the RIFLES during this period.

The ‘RIFLES’ were formed in 2005 from an amalgamation of the Royal Green Jackets, The Light Infantry, The Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry and the The Royal Gloucestershire Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry.


Welcome to the Corps..

 

My bold, is this just shocking reporting? 5 light role units? is it not 2 Light 2 Mech 1 Armoured? What is the part about peace keeping tasks I doubt 2 and 4 RIFLES would agree peace keeping was their role on their last tours of Iraq.

 

Perhaps it's an MoD ploy to introduce Iraqistan as a 'small scale peace keeping task' along the lines that Korea was a 'police action'!

 

Rusty, seems to be just shocking reporting. Mind you, it was taken from the RN news, and I doubt they're fully trained up journos, nor do they possess a great deal of knowledge about the Army.
Still, I'm not sure where they plucked that little gem from.

 

Literally 15 seconds on wikipedia catches them out, that's not exactly acceptable.

 

Is the implementation date significant?
AAAAAAH!!

 

No, it's not. And if I remember correctly, this will actually be their career, not just a posting. They have Petty Officer Writing, or some such thing.

 

Sharing their 'birthday' with the RAF too.. I'm sure 3 Cdo would rather have had 41 Cdo raised again. As they have said before the whole ethos behing the bootnecks and the Army (and the language!) is totally different. It seems a bit strange no compulsory AACC, considering 29 Cdo RA and 59 Cdo RE. Though it would take a long time to get that many people through Cdo training.

 

More Here from MOD News.

 

'1 RIFLES – based in Chepstow' - not that f**king slum underneath the Severn Bridge that used to 'house' the Sappers Apprentice College? Surely that dump was pulled down years ago. Does this mean that 1 Rifles will be moved closer to Plymouth?

'As they have said before the whole ethos behing the bootnecks and the Army (and the language!) is totally different.'

The first Commandos were Army volunteers, before Royal got in on the act. Complete Army Commandos landed on D-Day and fought through into Germany. 29 & 59 both have detached units embedded in Royal Marine Commando Groups and don't have many problems integrating.

 

Yes, and who would foot the bill? Army or RN?
I would be surprised if new officers weren't "encouraged" to attempt the AACC.

 

No, clearly not, as it weren't Booties that were sent home from Norway. It were Sappers!

 

Oh come on now, if you want to see real class performing, go down Union Street on a Friday night after Royal returns from overseas!

 

I'm still a civvie so my opinion is never to be taken seriously, but I've read somewhere around this site that new people will be encouraged to do the AACC on an individual basis, and that 1 Rifles will not be used as lead Commando Group.
I'm still curious how it will work since a Light Infantry Bn is organized very differently to a Marine Commando is it not?