Significant falling out’ between Navy head and Marines chief
Defence Secretary rejected attempts to expand role of Marines commandant
2 March 2021 • 9:36pm
A Royal Marine of the Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron during Winter Deployment 21 in the Arctic.
Credit: PO Phot Si Ethell/Royal Navy
There has been a significant falling out between the head of the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines chief after the latter resisted attempts to expand his role.
The Defence Secretary has rejected plans to double-hat the role of Commandant General Royal Marines (CGRM) with another job.
Admiral Tony Radakin, the head of the Royal Navy, was thought to be in favour of moving the role of CGRM to a more senior officer.
“It has made planning difficult“, said one source last night.
“You could start raining with 60 men, and end up with just ten getting through. Meanwhile those in Hunter Troop are released back into training when they re deemed match fit, leading at times to an unexpected glut of recruits joining an already tightly bounded, homogenous unit.”
This, coupled with the new demands of the green beret’s new ‘Future Commando Force’ format - and the knock-on effect which Covid-19 has had on training - led senior officers to launch an investigation into what could be done to enhance a recruits’ ability while maintaining the same exacting high standards of physical training expected from one of the world’s most elite corps.