Royal Marines have shortfall of 600 troops amid recruitment crisis

A report co-authored by Brigadier Mark Totten, who is still serving and was a former commanding officer of 42 Commando, said the elite force needed to make “significant changes” to the way they operate to ensure they are relevant in today’s world. The paper, published by the Royal United Services Institute, said they needed to make “considerable adjustments” to their capabilities, as the ability to carry out beach landings is becoming “increasingly difficult”, with the risk so high that it could outweigh the value in carrying them out. Totten, who is now deputy director of the Defence Equipment and Support Weapons Operating Centre, was previously in charge of the Future Commando Force programme and oversaw a period of transformation.