Marine Fusilier Regiments are marine infantry regiments belonging to the Algerian Navy. 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, are recognised as elite units of the Algerian army. 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 Algerian Land Forces. There are currently 8 identified marine rifle regiments :
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
.
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, army and air force, it therefore deals with all operations in strategic areas, at depth and in hostile environments, such as :
The protection of strategic points belonging to the Algerian Navy.
Training
Marine riflemen are trained at the Marine Rifle and Diver School in Jijel. This school trains marine riflemen, marine commandos and combat divers of the Algerian Navy 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 with the USMC, the US Army and the US NAVY, in Italy with the San Marco Regiment, and in Spain with the FGNE and the Marine Infantery units.
