Marine Fusilier Regiments (RFM or Marine Rifle Regiments) in ar, الفوج الأول للرماة البحرين, Al-Fawj al'rrabie Lilrumat al-Bahriiyn are marine infantry regiments belonging to the

Algerian Navy , image = Algerian Naval badge.svg , image_size = 220px , caption = Algerian Naval badge , dates = 1516–18271963–present , country ...

. They are the Algerian equivalents of the USMC.

History

The first Marine Rifle Battalions were created in 1986, the officer behind the creation of these units was General Abdelmadjid Chérif. The Marine Riflemen, like the Parachute Commandos of the

Algerian Land Forces The Algerian Land Forces ( ar, القوات البرية الجزائرية, , Algerian Land Forces) are the land forces of the Algerian People's National Army. The forces' equipment is supplied by Russia and various other countries. The force ...

, are recognised as elite units of the

Algerian Army french: Armée nationale populaire , image = ANP.png , alt = , caption = People's National Army emblem , image2 = , alt2 = , caption2 = , motto = ...

. Moreover, following the creation of these units, the Navy wanted to have a landing force that could operate in amphibious zones and that could lead to an operation in depth like their parachute counterparts in the Army. The Marine Riflemen are also a rapid-action and specialised operations force, they are fully autonomous and have their own logistics, combat and support capabilities. However, it was in 2005 that the Marine Commandos Corps was created with the release of its first class.

Organization

The Marine Rifle Regiments have an organization quite similar to their Parachute Commando counterparts in the

. There are currently 8 identified Marine Rifle Regiments: * 1st Marine Fusiliers Regiment "Martyr Housh Mohamed" of

Jijel Jijel ( ar, جيجل), the classical Igilgili, is the capital of Jijel Province in north-eastern Algeria. It is flanked by the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Corniche Jijelienne and had a population of 131,513 in 2008. Jijel is the administra ...

( ''Al-Fawj Al'awal Lilrumat al-Bahriiyn "Al-Shahid Housh Mohamed'') * 3rd Marine Fusiliers Regiment of Azzefoun ( ''Al-Fawj Al'awal Lilrumat al-Bahriiyn)'' * 4th Marine Fusiliers Regiment of

El Milia El Milia ( الميلية) is a town and commune in Jijel Province, Algeria. The town of El Milia is located in the north-eastern Constantinois region. It lies between the cities of Jijel, Mila, Constantine and Skikda. The Mediterranean Sea is ab ...

( ''Al-Fawj al'rrabie Lilrumat al-Bahriiyn'') * 5th Marine Fusiliers Regiment of Ténès ( ''Al-Fawj Al'awal Lilrumat al-Bahriiyn)'' * 7th Marine Fusiliers Regiment of Boumerdes ( ''Al-Fawj Al'awal Lilrumat al-Bahriiyn)'' * ''?? Marine Fusiliers Regiment of Dellys ( ''Al-Fawj Al'awal Lilrumat al-Bahriiyn)'' * ''?? Marine Fusiliers Regiment of Mers-El-Kebir ( ''Al-Fawj Al'awal Lilrumat al-Bahriiyn)'' * 12th Coastal Artillery Regiment of Collo "Martyr Ferendi Mohamed" ( ''Al-Fawj 12 Lilmadfaeiat al-Sahiliat "al-Shahid Ferendi Mohamed'')

The operational organization

The Marine Rifle Regiments are organized like all the regiments of the Algerian Army: * 1 General staff * 3 Fighting companies * 1 Logistics company * 1 Anti-tank company * 1 Recognition and support company * 1 Transmission company US Navy 060603-N-0938S-001 U

Tasks

Marine Fusiliers act primarily in the amphibious environment, in the maquis and on the seaside, Marine Fusiliers provide the material and human resources that enable them to carry out their missions, hence their autonomy. With the other units of the

Algerian Navy , image = Algerian Naval badge.svg , image_size = 220px , caption = Algerian Naval badge , dates = 1516–18271963–present , country ...

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

, it therefore deals with all operations in strategic areas, at depth and in hostile environments, such as : * Special reconnaissance * Specialized action in depth * Counter-terrorism on land and at sea * Amphibious support and sustainment to special operations (with special forces) * Recovery, protection and surveillance of strategic points * The fight against illicit trafficking at sea and on the Algerian coast * Protection of the Algerian coast from various threats (pollution, traffic...) * Securing the Algerian maritime space * Search and Rescue Support * The protection of strategic points belonging to the

Algerian Navy , image = Algerian Naval badge.svg , image_size = 220px , caption = Algerian Naval badge , dates = 1516–18271963–present , country ...

Training

Marine Riflemen are trained at the Marine Rifle and Diver School (EFMP) in

. This school trains Marine Riflemen,

Marine Commandos The Marine Commandos ( ar, مغاوير البحر, translit=Maghāwīr al Baħr) are an elite unit of the Lebanese Armed Forces. They are part of the Lebanese Special Operations Command. Established with assistance from the United States Navy ...

and Combat Divers of the

Algerian Navy , image = Algerian Naval badge.svg , image_size = 220px , caption = Algerian Naval badge , dates = 1516–18271963–present , country ...

and other army corps. Following his training, the student will be incorporated into a Marine Rifle Regiment and will then be able to pass specialized training such as mine clearance... or pass the selection and training to become a Marine Commando. In addition, Marine Riflemen also take part in training sessions abroad, notably in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

with the USMC, the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

and the

US NAVY The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

, in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

with the San Marco Regiment, and in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

with the FGNE and the Marine Infantry units.

Equipment and armaments

Armament

Handgun

* Glock 17 & 18 *

Caracal The caracal (''Caracal caracal'') () is a medium-sized wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted e ...

Assault rifle *

AKMS The AKM () is an assault rifle designed by Soviet small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1959. It is the most ubiquitous rifle of the Kalashnikov rifles. It was developed as a replacement to the AK-47 introduced a decade prior. Introduced ...

AKM The AKM () is an assault rifle designed by Soviet small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1959. It is the most ubiquitous rifle of the Kalashnikov rifles. It was developed as a replacement to the AK-47 introduced a decade prior. Introduced ...

* Type 56 Machine gun * PKM *

RPK The RPK (russian: Ручной пулемёт Калашникова/РПК, Ruchnoy Pulemyot Kalashnikova, link=no, English: "Kalashnikov hand-held machine gun"), sometimes retroactively termed the RPK-47, is a Soviet 7.62×39mm light machine ...

Precision rifle * Zatsava M93 Black Arrow *

SVD ''Svenska Dagbladet'' (, "The Swedish Daily News"), abbreviated SvD, is a daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. History and profile The first issue of ''Svenska Dagbladet'' appeared on 18 December 1884. During the beginning of the ...

Others * RPG 7

Individual equipment

* Spectra Helmet * Algerian Army lattice with DPM camouflage * Tactical vest *

Bullet-proof vest A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armor that helps absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration to the torso from firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentation from explosions. ...

* Gloves * Knee and elbow pads * Thigh Holster (and Belt Holster) * Rangers * Protective goggles * Camelback * Fighting bag * Communication Headset

Vehicles

* Mercedes-Benz G Class *

Toyota Land Cruiser The (also sometimes spelled as LandCruiser) is a series of four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. It is Toyota's longest running series of models. , the sales of the Land Cruiser totalled more than ...

* Nissan Patrol *

Mercedes-Benz Zetros The Mercedes-Benz Zetros is an off-road truck for extreme operations. It was first presented at the 2008 Eurosatory defence industry trade show in Paris. The Zetros is manufactured at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth am Rhein, Wörth, Germany. Th ...

Mercedes-Benz Unimog The Unimog (, ) is a range of multi-purpose tractors, trucks and lorries that has been produced by Boehringer from 1948 until 1951, and by Daimler Truck (formerly Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler AG) since 1951. In the United States and C ...

* SNVI M 120 * SNVI M 230 * SNVI M 260

Special vehicles

* BTR 80

Support vessels

* BDSL Kalaat Beni Abbes of San Giorgio class * Kalaat Beni Class Landing Vessel * Landing ship Polnochny class

Aeral

MI-17 The Mil Mi-17 (NATO reporting name: Hip) is a Soviet-designed Russian military helicopter family introduced in 1975 (Mi-8M), continuing in production at two factories, in Kazan and Ulan-Ude. It is known as the Mi-8M series in Russian service. ...

of the

Algerian Air Force The Algerian Air Force (AAF) ( ar, القُوَّاتُ الجَوِّيَّةُ الجَزَائِرِيَّةُ, links=, lit=, translit=al-Quwwāt al-Ǧawwiyyah al-Ǧazāʾiriyyah, french: Forces aériennes algériennes, links=, lit=, translit ...

References

{{Reflist Algerian National Navy