Marine Commandos

The Marine Commandos, known in Arabic as Maghawir al Bahr, are a maritime special operations unit of the Lebanese Armed Forces. They operate within the Lebanese Special Operations Command and work closely with the Lebanese Navy and other army branches. Unlike a commercial brand, the name identifies a military formation whose activities center on maritime security, special warfare, and specialized military support. The unit was created in 1997 during the reconstruction and modernization of the Lebanese Armed Forces. Before its establishment, Lebanon’s principal special operations formation was the Commando Regiment. The army decided that maritime special warfare required a dedicated organization capable of operating from the sea, along the coastline, and behind enemy lines. The formation process involved cooperation with the United States Department of Defense and the British Ministry of Defence. Officer candidates trained with the Royal Marines Commandos in the United Kingdom, while British Royal Marines also provided training in Lebanon. U.S. Navy SEALs contributed to instruction in both the United States and Lebanon. This foreign assistance helped shape the unit’s amphibious, diving, small-boat, and counterterrorism capabilities. The Marine Commandos’ responsibilities include amphibious reconnaissance, naval boarding, maritime counterterrorism, hostage rescue, anti-piracy, counter-sabotage, underwater demolition, irregular warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, direct action, and operations against hostile watercraft. The unit can also support maritime search and rescue, internal security, and joint operations with Lebanon’s land, naval, and air forces. Its mission set is therefore broader than conventional infantry combat and emphasizes the ability to move between maritime and land environments. Administrative independence followed in July 2001. The unit is based at a military complex in Amsheet that includes a heliport and a small harbor protected by a breakwater. Its visible identity includes a bordeaux beret and a trident insignia incorporating a Lebanese cedar. Uniforms have included black or woodland camouflage clothing, desert boots, and later digital desert camouflage. The insignia and some uniform elements reflect the unit’s training links with American and British commando traditions while retaining Lebanese national symbolism. Recruitment and training are highly selective. Candidates may come from across Lebanon’s armed forces, and some enter after completing the Lebanese Army Special Forces School. The Marine Commando course is described as lasting roughly six to seven months and includes swimming, abseiling, small-boat handling, beach landings, navigation, helicopter operations, diving, close-quarters battle, sniping, explosives, communications, and maritime operations. Further specialization may involve combat diving, airborne operations, storming, explosives and ammunition, or maritime hostage rescue. The advanced combat-diving track is substantially longer and includes underwater navigation, demolition, survival, boat and helicopter procedures, and specialized open- and closed-circuit diving. The unit primarily uses equipment of American origin, including small arms, machine guns, sniper systems, grenade launchers, anti-armor weapons, armored vehicles, utility vehicles, motorcycles, and small boats. Reported maritime craft include rigid-hull inflatable boats, combat rubber raiding craft, and Asis boats. Because the Marine Commandos are a military unit rather than a consumer-facing business, conventional measures such as revenue, market share, commercial product lines, and stock-market listing do not apply.

The Marine Commandos were established in 1997 as part of the postwar reconstruction and modernization of the Lebanese Armed Forces. Until then, Lebanon’s special operations capability was principally represented by the Commando Regiment. The army determined that maritime special warfare required a separate formation with the ability to conduct reconnaissance, raids, underwater operations, and other missions involving the coast and open water. To develop the new unit, Lebanese authorities sought assistance from the United States Department of Defense and the British Ministry of Defence. Selected officers were sent to the United Kingdom for training with the Royal Marines Commandos, while British instructors also trained lower-ranking personnel in Lebanon. U.S. Navy SEALs supported instruction in the United States and Lebanon. The resulting organization drew on British commando and American naval special warfare practices while being integrated into Lebanon’s own military structure. The unit gained administrative independence in July 2001. It subsequently developed a broad mission profile encompassing amphibious reconnaissance, naval boarding, maritime counterterrorism, hostage rescue, anti-piracy, underwater demolition, maritime counter-sabotage, irregular warfare, intelligence and surveillance, direct action, and operations behind enemy lines. It also supports internal security and maritime search-and-rescue duties and can operate jointly with Lebanese naval, ground, and air forces. The Marine Commandos are headquartered in an approximately 85,000-square-meter military complex in Amsheet. The site includes a heliport and a small harbor sheltered by a breakwater, reflecting the unit’s emphasis on combined sea and air access. Its insignia is a trident resembling the American Navy SEAL emblem but incorporating a Lebanese cedar. Uniforms have included black and woodland camouflage clothing, desert boots, a bordeaux beret, and digital desert camouflage adopted during the 2000s. Training begins with the Lebanese Army Special Forces School, where candidates receive instruction in physical conditioning, close combat, explosives, communications, navigation, climbing, urban warfare, patrol techniques, water obstacles, helicopter procedures, survival, and resistance to capture. Graduates and other armed-forces candidates may then enter the Marine Commandos’ own selection and training system. The reported course lasts approximately six to seven months and is divided into fundamental, complementary, and specialized phases. It includes swimming, small-boat operations, beach landings, abseiling, diving, helicopter insertion, sniping, close-quarters battle, engineering, driving, radio work, and explosives training. Only a minority of candidates reportedly complete the process. A further combat-diving pathway is reserved for a smaller group. It involves demanding swimming and underwater tests followed by extended training in combat diving, underwater demolition, coastal reconnaissance, navigation, survival, weapons, communications, and boat and helicopter operations. The Marine Commandos’ equipment has principally included American-origin firearms and crew-served weapons, armored and utility vehicles, and inflatable or small support boats. The unit remains a component of Lebanon’s military special operations structure rather than a commercial enterprise.

• 2008

  Digital desert camouflage introduced

  [1]Marine Commandosen.wikipedia.org

  The unit adopted U.S.-style digital desert camouflage as an additional uniform pattern.

• 2001

  Administrative independence

  [1]Marine Commandosen.wikipedia.org

  The Marine Commandos obtained administrative independence in July, consolidating their status as a distinct military formation.

• 1997

  Unit established

  [1]Marine Commandosen.wikipedia.org

  The Lebanese Armed Forces created a dedicated maritime special warfare formation during a broader program of military reconstruction and modernization.

A Lebanese military special operations formation focused on maritime special warfare, amphibious operations, coastal security, counterterrorism, and related land-based missions.

• Military capability · 1997

  Maritime special operations

  The unit’s principal capability set covers amphibious reconnaissance, naval special warfare, maritime counterterrorism, anti-piracy, boarding operations, maritime counter-sabotage, underwater demolition, and support to maritime security. These missions require personnel to operate from small boats, along coastlines, underwater, and on land.

• Military capability

  Combat diving

  The specialized combat-diving track prepares selected personnel for underwater infiltration, coastal reconnaissance, demolition, obstacle clearance, survival, and attacks or raids launched from the sea. Training includes open-circuit and closed-circuit diving, underwater movement, weapons handling, communications, and coordination with boats and helicopters.

• Military capability

  Maritime hostage rescue

  Hostage rescue in maritime environments is among the unit’s stated specialized responsibilities. It is supported by close-quarters battle, storming, small-boat handling, helicopter insertion, navigation, communications, and coordination with other Lebanese military branches.

1. 1Marine Commandosen.wikipedia.org