Full Breakdown
Royal Marines and U.S. Navy SEALs Complete Joint Maritime Special Operations Exercise
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Joint Exercise Resolute Strike
Royal Marines concluded a three-week intensive maritime special operations exercise, Resolute Strike, alongside U.S. Navy SEALs in Virginia. The drill tested combined capabilities in vessel seizures, close-quarters combat and complex targeting missions, culminating in a final validation aboard the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Arlington.
Training Scope and Activities
Twenty-seven commandos from M Company, 42 Commando, joined specialists from 148 Battery, Royal Artillery, after a prior month of riverine and jungle warfare training in southern Mississippi. Participants also trained with SEAL teams at the Navy Dare Bombing Range in North Carolina, a 186 sq km air-to-surface weapons facility. The British force practiced directing F/A-18 Super Hornet air attacks against surface-to-air missile sites and conducting suppression of enemy air defenses. Over 20 close-quarters battle (CQB) missions were executed, including night helicopter insertions to clear compounds, followed by maritime interdiction drills that involved vessel takedowns, explosive and mechanical entry methods, and precision marksmanship. The final operation saw two Black Hawk helicopters insert a combined UK-US assault team onto a U.S. Navy target vessel, which the force then seized.
Capabilities Developed and Certification
The exercise certified 148 Battery to support operations while maintaining its high-readiness status. Royal Marines employed the L143A2 (SIG Sauer MCX) carbine in a training configuration featuring a compact electronic sight, short barrel and suppressor, with translucent blue magazines for low-energy marking ammunition. M Company forms Special Operations Maritime Task Unit 9 (SOMTU 9), one of the Royal Marines’ high-readiness maritime special-operations teams, capable of deploying from ships or land bases and integrating specialists such as scout snipers, divers, uncrewed-systems operators, explosive-ordnance-disposal personnel and electronic-warfare experts as required.
Future Collaboration
The report notes that additional joint training is planned for colder conditions this winter, building on the Arctic warfare specialisms maintained by both the Royal Marines and U.S. Navy SEALs. This continued cooperation aims to enhance interoperability and readiness for future maritime special-operations missions.