UK Commando Force Explained: Why 3 Commando Brigade Became Britain's New Commando Formation

by Luke Dalton September 12, 2026

Contact Coffee Resupply, four bags of coffee inside a genuine M2A1 ammo tin, the pass out gift for new commandos — Contact Coffee was co-founded by a former Royal Marine. The Coffee Resupply ammo tin has become the default pass out gift in commando families.

By Luke Dalton · Updated 12 September 2026

In 30 Seconds

The UK Commando Force is the new official name for 3 Commando Brigade, the Royal Marines formation that led Britain's amphibious forces for decades. His Majesty The King announced the change on 9 June 2026 while presenting new Colours to four Royal Marines units at Windsor Castle. The rename recognises a transformation that began in 2017 and turned a high readiness amphibious brigade into a dispersed, technology heavy commando force that deploys globally in small teams. The green beret, the commando tests and the units themselves all remain; the brigade era name has been retired.

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What the UK Commando Force Actually Is

The UK Commando Force is the Royal Navy formation that contains the Royal Marines commando units and the specialist groups that fight alongside them. It is the same fighting organisation that was called 3 Commando Brigade, under a name that describes what the force has become rather than what it was. The Royal Navy's announcement put it plainly: the new designation reflects the force's evolution into a modern, globally deployed Commando Force, built for dispersed operations rather than massed amphibious landings.

General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, First Sea Lord and Commandant General Royal Marines, described the change as more than a name change, saying it reflects "a decade of transformation". That transformation, which began in earnest in 2017, moved the Royal Marines away from operating as one large brigade that lands together, and towards small commando teams spread across a wide area, equipped with aerial and surface drones, new surveillance systems and digital communications.

The Day the Name Changed

The announcement came on 9 June 2026, during a ceremony in The Quadrangle at Windsor Castle where 40 Commando, 42 Commando, 43 Commando and 45 Commando each received new Colours. The King, addressing the parade, told the Royal Marines: "Whether in the heat, the cold, or something persistently wet in between, you have consistently demonstrated that there are no environments in which a Royal Marine cannot operate and win." He described the moment as the closure of one chapter and the opening of another.

The choice of occasion mattered. New Colours are presented rarely, and pairing them with the retirement of the 3 Commando Brigade name marked the change as a generational milestone rather than an administrative reshuffle.

Who Makes Up the UK Commando Force

The four Royal Marines units that received new Colours at Windsor are the core of the force: 40 Commando, 42 Commando, 43 Commando and 45 Commando. Around them sit the specialist groups that give the force its reach. 30 Commando Information Exploitation Group provides intelligence, surveillance and communications. The Commando Logistic Regiment keeps the force supplied in the field. Both are listed by the Royal Navy as part of the commando structure, and both are commando trained.

The force is headquartered at RM Stonehouse in Plymouth, one of the oldest Royal Marines bases in the UK, which the Royal Navy describes as the nerve centre of UK Commando Force, providing the command, control and support infrastructure for its operations. If you want to understand how the people inside these units fit together, from Marine to Commandant General, our Royal Marines ranks guide walks the whole ladder.

What Changed and What Did Not

It is worth being precise about what the rename did and did not do, because most of the confusion online comes from mixing the two up. What changed is the title of the formation and, over the last decade, the way it fights: the massed amphibious brigade of the Falklands era has become a force that deploys globally in dispersed commando teams. What did not change is everything people actually associate with the Royal Marines. The units keep their identities and their new Colours. The green beret still has to be earned the hard way. The commando tests still stand. The people are the same people who were in the formation the day before the announcement.

The word brigade itself is the clue. A brigade is a specific military structure, a few thousand troops organised to fight together as one body under one headquarters. The Royal Navy's point in retiring it is that the Royal Marines no longer plan to fight that way. A force made up of small teams spread across a wide area, each plugged into drones, surveillance feeds and digital communications, is not a brigade in any meaningful sense, however proud the old name. Calling it what it is now costs nothing and describes the organisation honestly, which is exactly the argument General Sir Gwyn Jenkins made when he framed the change as the recognition of a decade of transformation rather than a rebrand.

What Happened to 3 Commando Brigade

Nothing was disbanded. The formation that carried the 3 Commando Brigade name from the years after the Second World War, through the 1982 Falklands campaign and later operations in the Middle East, continues under the new title. Its people, units and green berets are unchanged. What retired was the word brigade, because the force no longer fights as one.

That is the honest answer to the question people keep typing into Google: 3 Commando Brigade still exists, it is simply called the UK Commando Force now. Veterans who served under the old name lost nothing; the lineage and battle honours travel with the formation.

How the Commando Force Fights Now

The old model was a high readiness amphibious brigade: thousands of Royal Marines landing from ships as a single force. The new model, developed since 2017 under the Future Commando Force programme of modernisation, is dispersal. Small commando teams operate spread across a wide area, closer to the fight and harder to find, supported by crewed and uncrewed systems and vessels, including aerial and surface drones, plus new weapons, surveillance kit, battlefield vehicles and digital communications.

For anyone thinking about joining, the practical meaning is this: the modern Royal Marine is expected to do more, with more technology, in smaller teams. The entry standard has not moved an inch. Recruits still pass Royal Marines training and the commando tests to earn the green beret, and our guide to Royal Marines fitness requirements sets out exactly what that takes, straight from the official standards. If you are earlier in the process and still working out what the life actually involves, the Royal Marines kit list guide covers what recruits genuinely need for training, and the ranks guide shows where a career can go once the beret is on.

The rename also matters for how the force will be talked about from here. Recruiting material, news coverage and official communications will all carry the UK Commando Force name, and search interest in the new title has already overtaken the level the old brigade name held for years. Anyone researching the Royal Marines from late 2026 onwards will meet the new name first and the old one second, which is precisely the direction of travel the Royal Navy intended.

What It Means for Veterans and Families

For veterans of the brigade years, nothing about their service is rewritten. The formation they served in continues, its lineage and battle honours intact, under a name that acknowledges what their generations built. The Royal Navy's own announcement treated the change as a thank you to the old name as much as a welcome to the new one, and the King framed it the same way at Windsor: one chapter closing, another opening.

For families, the practical translation is simple. If someone you love is in 40, 42, 43 or 45 Commando, or in one of the supporting commando units, they are now part of the UK Commando Force. Same job, same standards, same green beret on the same head. The letters home just carry a different formation name at the top.

The Commando Mindset, and the Coffee

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does 3 Commando Brigade still exist?

Yes. The formation still exists in full; it was renamed the UK Commando Force on 9 June 2026. No units were disbanded and the green beret, the commando tests and the force's lineage all continue under the new name.

Did 3 Commando Brigade change its name?

Yes. His Majesty The King announced the change on 9 June 2026 at Windsor Castle, while presenting new Colours to four Royal Marines units. The formation is now officially known as the UK Commando Force.

Why was 3 Commando Brigade renamed the UK Commando Force?

The Royal Navy says the new name reflects a decade of transformation that began in 2017. The Royal Marines evolved from a high readiness amphibious brigade into a modern, globally deployed commando force that operates in small dispersed teams with drones, new surveillance systems and digital communications, so the word brigade no longer described how the force fights.

What units are in the UK Commando Force?

The core Royal Marines units are 40 Commando, 42 Commando, 43 Commando and 45 Commando, all of which received new Colours at Windsor Castle in June 2026. Specialist formations listed by the Royal Navy in the commando structure include 30 Commando Information Exploitation Group and the Commando Logistic Regiment.

Where is the UK Commando Force headquartered?

The headquarters of the UK Commando Force is at RM Stonehouse in Plymouth, alongside 30 Commando Information Exploitation Group. The Royal Navy describes Stonehouse as the nerve centre of the force, and it is one of the oldest Royal Marines bases in the UK.

Is the UK Commando Force part of the Royal Navy?

Yes. The Royal Marines are the Royal Navy's commandos, and the UK Commando Force is a Royal Navy formation. The First Sea Lord, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, is also Commandant General Royal Marines.

Do you still earn the green beret in the UK Commando Force?

Yes. The rename changed the formation's title, not the route into it. Recruits still complete Royal Marines training and pass the commando tests to earn the green beret, and the standards are set out in our Royal Marines fitness requirements guide.

What did the King say at the ceremony?

Addressing the parade at Windsor Castle, The King told the Royal Marines: "Whether in the heat, the cold, or something persistently wet in between, you have consistently demonstrated that there are no environments in which a Royal Marine cannot operate and win." He called the rename the closure of one chapter and the opening of another.

What is the Future Commando Force programme?

Future Commando Force is the modernisation programme, running since 2017, that reshaped the Royal Marines from a massed amphibious brigade into dispersed, technology heavy strike teams. The UK Commando Force name is the formal recognition of that change.

What is a good gift for someone joining the Royal Marines?

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