Royal Marines Seize Vehicles in Salisbury Plain Training Raid
Royal marines from 42 Commando carried out vehicle seizure drills and fast-paced helicopter raids on Salisbury Plain as they prepared for upcoming operations. The exercise brought together personnel from two Special Operations Maritime Task Units, with Wildcat helicopters from 847 Naval Air Squadron providing overwatch during the vehicle drill.
42 Commando on Salisbury Plain
The commandos rehearsed vehicle interdiction tactics and practised how to stop, intercept and seize hostile vehicles. They also inserted behind enemy lines aboard Wildcat helicopters, then formed a helicopter assault force and fast-roped onto multiple landing sites, including high-rise buildings and key transport routes.
Those drills were not routine movement practice. They were built around the tasks the units are designed to perform: maritime counter-terrorism, vessel boarding operations and covert coastal raids. Each Special Operations Maritime Task Unit can provide one force protection team and two boarding teams, and each unit can be bolstered with scout snipers, uncrewed systems, dive teams or explosive ordnance disposal.
US Navy Special Operations Force
The UK Commando Force is preparing to deploy to the United States, where it will work alongside the US Navy Special Operations Force. The exercise on Salisbury Plain gave the commandos a chance to rehearse air, land and sea insertion methods before that deployment, while keeping the focus on rapid global deployment from hubs on land or at sea, either independently or integrated with partner forces.
Special Operations Maritime Task Units
The officer in command of Special Operations Maritime Task Unit 1 said, “The ability to insert forces tactically from air, land, or sea enables the rapid deployment of commandos into complex, contested, and dynamic environments at short notice.” He added, “Through the continued development of allied and regional partnerships, we enhance our warfighting capability and deepen our understanding of a strategically vital and increasingly contested operating area.”
He also said, “Lima Company routinely delivers world-class military assistance to priority partners and stands ready to support freedom of navigation and maritime security operations.” For the Royal Marines, the practical value is straightforward: the Salisbury Plain drills tied helicopter assault, vehicle seizure and boarding skills to the next phase of work with the United States.
