All Arms Commando Course

The All Arms Commando Course lasts for 9 weeks and is run by the Royal Marines at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM), Lympstone. Members from any of the United Kingdom's Regular Armed Forces and overseas exchange personnel can attend in order to serve with 3 Commando Brigade. On completion of the course the successful candidate earns the right to wear the green beret, and to wear the "Commando Dagger" on their uniform.

Following a 2 week pre-course period, which brings soldiers from a broad range of backgrounds up to a common standard of basic skills, the course focuses on core military skills, including patrolling, defence and section and troop level attacks.

The course then covers the following Commando skills: amphibious assault drills, cliff assault drills, helicopter drills and small-unit tactics. The course concludes with a week-long confirmatory test exercise followed by Test Week.

Tests

The following Tests must be passed by the volunteers:

Bottom Field Tests

Wearing boots, CS95 trousers and jacket, carrying 21 lb (9.5 kg) fighting order and personal weapon:

• 30 ft (9.1 m) rope climb
• Bottom Field assault course in under 5 minutes
• 200 metre fireman's carry, carrying own and colleague's equipment and weapon, in 90 seconds
• Full regain over the water tank

Criteria Tests

Undertaken during the course, and must be passed to progress.

• 4 Mile Speed March - as a formed body in 40 minutes carrying 21 lb (9.5 kg) fighting order and personal weapon
• 6 Mile Speed March - as a formed body in 60 minutes carrying 21 lb (9.5 kg) fighting order and personal weapon
• 12 Mile Load Carry - as a formed body in 4 hours and 40 minutes carrying 69 lb (31 kg) marching order and personal weapon

Commando Tests

Completed on consecutive days during the final test week:

• Endurance Course - 2 miles (3.2 km) of cross country and water obstacles followed by a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) road run in 72 minutes carrying 21 lb (9.5 kg) fighting order and a personal weapon, followed immediately by a range shoot
• 9 Mile Speed March - as a formed body in 90 minutes carrying 21 lb (9.5 kg) fighting order and personal weapon
• Tarzan Assault Course - in under 12 minutes carrying 21 lb (9.5 kg) fighting order and personal weapon
• 30 Miler - 30-mile (48 km) cross-country march over Dartmoor in 8 hours carrying 21 lb (9.5 kg) fighting order and personal weapon

Reserve Commando Course

There is also a Reserve Commando Course run for members of the Royal Marines Reserve and Commando units of the Territorial Army.