Royal Marines fast-rope from Merlins and assault fort as they hone skills for Nato role

Royal Marines from 42 Commando have fast-roped into Scraesdon Fort in Cornwall in a test exercise designed to get them ready to serve Nato in a new way.

It was part of Exercise Neptune Storm, which tested their abilities ahead of their transition to the new UK Special Operations Maritime Task Group (UKSOMTG).

This team will join Nato's Allied Reaction Force and deploy at extremely short notice.

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"It's the first time we've developed a Special Operations force of this nature, so it's important for the Commando Force to be leading that force development," said Lieutenant Colonel Tom Quinn, the Commanding Officer of 42 Commando.

"It's an excellent capability in the arsenal that we can offer to Nato."

The objective was simple for the roughly 150 personnel involved in the drills.

The Commandos had to fly in Merlin helicopters to the fort, deal with several insurgents and then capture the target, while being followed by the operations room in Bickleigh Barracks.

The key technique that was needed for the training was fast-roping from a helicopter.

Once on the ground, they methodically worked through the various rooms, neutralising enemies and searching for their target.

"Raiding is in our roots as Commandos," Lt Col Quinn said.

"So the Special Operations Task Group is all about short, decisive action, small team tactics, delivering the basics really well in a potentially higher risk environment for short time-bound periods."

This training was an important step on the journey to be ready to provide this new capability to Nato.

42 Commando is the spine of the new UKSOMTG, with attachments from the wider Commando Force and Royal Navy.

The task group was created to be a multi-purpose, raiding and striking capability.

Britain is one of the few nations that can launch operations like this.

"There's a limited number of nations that have, particularly the special maritime forces, that are able to do the types of missions that we're going to be [doing, like] recapturing vessels and oil rigs, as well as the covert insertion from the shore to bring on these follow-on forces," an officer Commanding UKSOMTG explained to BFBS Forces News.

"So, for Nato, it's really important to have that as an advanced force in an Article 5 scenario."

Nato will also test the skills and capabilities of this grouping before they stand ready to deploy fast in, fast out to whatever demanding target needs this kind of bespoke Commando response.