Antillean Marine Corps
- Not to be confused with the Continental Marine Corps, the amphibious warfare arm of the UCCS Armed Forces in mainland North America.
| Antillean Marine Corps | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the Antillean Marine Corps | |
| Founded | 11 July 1798 (as the United States Marine Corps) |
| Country |
 Antilles |
| Branch |
 Antillean Navy |
| Role | Amphibious warfare |
| Size |
48,392 active Marines 36,059 Marine Reservists |
| Part of | Department of the Navy, Columbia City |
| Motto(s) |
Semper fidelis ("Always faithful") |
| March | "Marines' Hymn" |
| Anniversaries | 11 July |
| Engagements | |
| Battle honours |
 Antillean Presidential Citation  Defense of the Antilles Streamer Sierran Crown Citation |
| Commanders | |
| Secretary of the Navy |
 James Kirby |
| Commandant |
 Lieutenant General Paul Anderson |
| Deputy Commandant |
 Major General Augustine Morrison |
| Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps | Sergeant Major Ken Warren |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |
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| Logo (Eagle, Globe, and Anchor) |
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The Antillean Marine Corps, officially known as the United Commonwealth Marine Corps, is the naval infantry force of the Antilles and is a branch of the Antillean Navy. It is trained in amphibious warfare and combined arms operations in a variety of environments, forming the main component of the Antillean expeditionary forces. The U.C. Marine Corps traces its history to the creation of the United States Marine Corps on 11 July 1798, during the Quasi-War with France, and to a lesser extent to the creation of the Continental Marines on 10 November 1775 during the American Revolutionary War. The Corps participated in nearly every major war involving the United States and its successor, the United Commonwealth of America during the Mainland Era, up until the Continental Revolutionary War. These were often foreign expeditions, giving the Marines the reputation of being the spearhead of the United Commonwealth's military operations.
During the civil war between the Federalists and the Continentalists, relatively few Marines defected to the Continental Revolutionary Army compared to other branches of the armed forces, living up to the Corps motto Semper fidelis ("Always faithful"). Marines also stayed the longest to defend the last remaining ports on the mainland to cover the great evacuation of the Federalist government and loyalists, and were the last Federalist units to be evacuated to the Antilles at the end of the conflict. During the Great War, the Marines defended the outlying islands of the Antillean archipelago from Continental landings during the Caribbean campaign and some of them were deployed abroad together with other American Coalition forces. During the presidency of Amelia Abarough the Marine Corps developed a reputation of being a "praetorian guard" to the president and the Federalist Party, especially after it remained loyal and fought against General George Ossoff's coup attempt, gaining favor at the expense of the Army. Since the 1980s the U.C. Marine Corps has gradually been downsized, from a strength of nearly 80,000 active Marines as of 1979 to 54,000 in 2005, with some leaders questioning the purpose of an infantry force separate from the Army. However, President Arian Lawrence's National Defense Strategy of 2021 envisions an expanded Marine Corps as a key part of the Antillean Expeditionary Force and the defense of the Antillean home islands in the 21st century.
Because of the geography of the Antilles, the Marine Corps has trained in different types of operations for assisting the Antillean Army against a hypothetical Continental invasion of the Antilles, as the idea of Antillean amphibious landings on the mainland as a prelude to an invasion was given up by the middle of the 20th century. In the 21st century the primary role of the Marines is to serve as an elite infantry and combined arms force, working with the Navy's amphibious assault ships and aviation squadrons, as part of the joint Antillean Expeditionary Force. Outside of the Antilles the Marine Corps also maintains a close partnership with the Sierran Royal Marines, the Superian Marine Infantry Corps, and the British Royal Marines, often carrying out training exercises in allied countries. As of 2022 the Antillean Marines have 48,392 active personnel and 36,059 in the Marine Corps Reserve, and the branch is part of the Department of the Navy.
Mission
The Antillean Code outlines the purpose for the UCMC as being to assist naval operations by seizing hostile naval bases or other shore facilities; provide security for naval ships; and develop tactics for amphibious landings, in cooperation with the Army, Navy, and Air Force. For this reason, the Marine Corps is not a separate branch of the armed forces but is an independent service of the Navy, which together with the Navy and the Coast Guard makes up the "United Commonwealth Naval Service." The most recent guide for Marine amphibious warfare tactics and strategy is the Operational Maneuver from the Sea, published in 2014.
The majority of the Marine Corps' most famous actions have not been naval, but rather land warfare, and since the retreat of the Federalists to the Antilles this has become even more true. The Antillean Marines were used to defend outlying islands of the Antillean archipelago during Great War I (the Cuba campaign) ahead of a potential Continental amphibious invasion of the Antilles, and in were part of the attempted Antillean-Sierran invasion of the Panama Canal (Operation Anvil), which was done by some forces marching overland from pro-Entente Nicaragua while other groups attempted landings on each end of the Canal. While the Antillean Marines in these campaigns fought mostly on land, they were both expeditionary in nature, taking place overseas or in the extremities of Antillean territory. Therefore the Marines today are seen by the Department of the Navy as the maritime land expeditionary force, spearheading the military operations of the Antilles abroad or in the near abroad.
The Marines have a close historic partnership with and rely on the Antillean Navy for sealift capabilities and aviation. For this reason, each of the three currently active Marine Divisions is assigned to one of the Navy's two fleets, working as part of larger maritime–air–ground strike force, which consist of Navy, Naval Aviation, and Marine elements. The Marines have their own logistics infrastructure, though they also cooperate closely with the Navy's supply corps. Every Marine is also expected to be a rifleman first, regardless of occupational specialty, and therefore all Marines undergo training in advanced infantry tactics, more so than the non-combat personnel in the Army, Navy, or Air Force. This is one of the aspects that has given the Marine Corps a reputation for having the most demanding physical standards of any branch for all of its personnel.
The Marine Corps has had significant ceremonial duties in Columbia City since the presidency of Amelia Abarough. The Marine Band, nicknamed "the President's Own", performs at many official state functions, including at the Presidential Palace and the Antillean Capitol. The Marine Honor Guard Companies are also based at the Marine Corps Barracks, Columbia City, and two Marine helicopters are used as the official transportation for the President and the Vice President. The Embassy Security Regiment of the Corps is used to provide security guards at Antillean diplomatic missions abroad, so the Corps works closely with the Department of State (Antilles). These functions date back to the United States and the pre-revolutionary United Commonwealth, and have also influenced the traditions of other Anglo-American and foreign Marine forces.
History
Early founding and 19th century
Both the Antillean Marine Corps and the Continental Marine Corps on the mainland trace their origin to the creation of the original Continental Marines of the American Revolutionary War on 10 November 1775, when two battalions of marines were raised by Captain Samuel Nicholas after being authorized by an act of Congress. In 1926, after the retreat of the government of the United Commonwealth to the Antilles, the Antillean U.C. Marine Corps changed its birthday to 11 July 1798: when the United States Marine Corps was formally established by Congress in its current form, because the Continental Marines were disbanded in 1783 after the Revolutionary War. This was done to differentiate themselves from the mainland Continental Marine Corps.
The Continental Marines participated in several battles during the Revolutionary War, including the Battle of Nassau in January 1776 and the Battle of Princeton in January 1777. The Continental Navy and Marines were dissolved in 1783, before being resurrected by Congress in their current form in 1798 for the Quasi-War with France. When the United States Navy received its first frigates, the Naval Armament Act regulated the number of marines that was to be assigned to each frigate. The Marines' most famous action of this period occurred during the First Barbary War (1801–1805) against the Barbary pirates, who were attacking American merchant ships and southern European coastal cities, when William Eaton and First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon led 8 marines and 500 mercenaries in an effort to capture Tripoli. Though they only reached Derna, the action at Tripoli has been immortalized in the Marines' Hymn (by the line "to the shores of Tripoli") and the Mameluke sword carried by Marine officers.
Continental Revolutionary War
Great War and reorganization
Cold War
Since 2000
Command, control, organization
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The Marine Corps is a quasi-independent service of the Navy, putting it under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Navy (Antilles), the civilian agency tasked with the administration of the naval service, which also includes the Coast Guard. The Commandant of the Antillean Marine Corps is the most senior officer and the head of the organization, and is assisted by the Deputy Commandant and the staff officers at the Marine Corps Headquarters. The Commandant, by tradition always a three-star general (lieutenant general), is tasked with providing the Chief of Naval Staff and individual fleet commanders with Marine combat units, maintaining the readiness of the Marine Corps, as well as setting the doctrine, strategic planning, and the administrative and logistical management of the Corps. Headquarters is responsible for assisting the Commandant in carrying out his duties.
Below the HQ are several major commands that have responsibilities in different spheres: the Logistics Command, Combat Development Command, Recruiting Command, Systems Command, Special Operations Command, and the Forces Command. The latter has control over the disposition of Marine combat units during peacetime and coordinates with the Navy fleet commanders to provide them with amphibious warfare capabilities. Between the 1920s until 2010, the fighting force of the Marines was organized into divisions, which included ground and logistics components. In 2010 they were reorganized into the First Fleet Marine Force and the Second Fleet Marine Force, each consisting of one or two divisions. The 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions are part of the First Fleet Marine Force, the 3rd Marine Division is part of the Second Fleet Marine Force, while the 4th Marine Division is the reserve formation. The Reserve Command is tasked with training and organizing the reserve personnel, which would form their own Fleet Marine Force upon mobilization of one division.
Structure
 Marine Corps Headquarters (National Military Center, Columbia City)
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|---|---|---|
| Functional commands | Current commander | Location of headquarters |
 Logistics Command |
Maj Gen | |
 Combat Development Command |
Maj Gen | |
 Recruiting Command |
Maj Gen | |
 Systems Command |
Maj Gen | |
 Marine Officer Candidate School |
Col | |
.png){kind=small} Marine Corps Aviation Command |
Maj Gen | |
.svg){kind=small} Marine Corps Special Operations Command |
Maj Gen | |
 Marine Corps Forces Command |
Lt Gen | |
 Marine Corps Reserve Command |
Lt Gen | |
| Operational forces | Current commander | Location of headquarters |
| First Fleet Marine Force | ||
–  1st Marine Division |
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–  2nd Marine Division |
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| Second Fleet Marine Force | ||
–  3rd Marine Division |
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| Reserve Marine Force | ||
–  4th Marine Division |
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Personnel
Recruits that successfully graduate from boot camp are given the title of "Marine." The Marine Corps promotes the idea that it is a prestigious title that must be earned, and once earned is held for life, even after retiring from the military, except for anyone that was dishonorably discharged for committing a serious crime. The Marine Corps prides itself on having the longest basic training program and the most demanding physical requirements.
The Marine Corps historically was racially segregated from 1798 until 1951. During the American Revolutionary War there were several black Continental Marines, but afterwards the Corps began a policy of not allowing African-Continentals to serve. This continued with African-Antilleans after the retreat to the Antilles. In the 1970s the Marine Corps became the last branch of the Antillean Armed Forces to end racial discrimination and created desegregated units where all races serve along side each other, although they made began making exceptions in the 1950s. Hispanics have historically been less discriminated against by the Marine Corps, and the early 20th century saw several Hispanic Marines being awarded decorations like the Medal of Honor. This changed after the retreat to the Antilles, though by the 1950s there was a significant number of Hispanics serving in the Marine Corps. Women first began enlisting in the Marine Corps during the Continental Revolutionary War, though their numbers remained extremely low until Great War I, when the Antillean Marine Corps Women's Reserve was established. Personnel of the Women's Marine Reserve performed work in clerical, medical, and logistical support services to free additional male Marines for combat roles. In the present, the Marine Corps accepts female recruits as long as they can meet the same physical fitness standards as the male recruits, and only allows them in non-combat positions.
Training and occupations
Each year over 200 new Marine officers are commissioned and 5,000 new enlisted Marines enter the Corps after passing boot camp. The Marine Corps Recruiting Command is in charge of all recruiting efforts, maintaining offices across the four provisional commonwealths of the Antilles.
Enlisted Marines attend basic training, known as boot camp, at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Guantanamo Bay. All recruits must pass a physical test, at least to the level of the minimum standard, with those that get a higher score on the physical test being eligible for more military occupation specialties (MOS). The recruit basic training for Marines lasts 14 weeks, making it the longest among all service branches of the Antillean military. After passing boot camp, a recruit is given the title Marine and attends specialized training elsewhere based on their individual MOS. The School of Infantry is also located at MCRD Guantanamo Bay. Those enlisted Marines that specialize in non-combat roles undergo a shorter version of the training program at the School of Infantry in basic tactics before continuing on to their MOS-specific training, while Marine infantrymen receive a longer SOI course.
Commissioned officers have to pass leadership training in advanced infantry and amphibious tactics at Marine Corps Base Whiteport. They usually come from one of three sources: Naval Reserve Office Training Corps (NROTC), the Marine Office Candidate School (OCS), or the United Commonwealth Naval Academy. Regardless, they are all required to pass the advanced leadership and combined arms warfare training at MCB Whiteport to be commissioned as Marine officers.
A Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) is the four-digit classification given to different jobs in the military, including the Marine Corps. Each Marine is assigned an MOS when they join the Corps based on several different factors, including their performance during standardized testing and training, as well as the needs of the Corps.
Uniforms
The Marine Corps has the most distinctive and recognizable uniforms in the Antillean military, with the ceremonial Dress Blues dating back to the 19th century and the Service Greens dating to the first half of the 20th century. There are four types of uniforms worn by Antillean Marines: combat dress uniform, ceremonial dress (blues), service dress (greens), and evening dress. There are minor differences between the enlisted, non-commissioned officer, and commissioned officer variations of the uniforms. The ceremonial dress is the most ornate and is worn on most official occasions, with navy blue and white being the primary colors of the enlisted and NCO version, while the officers' version uses black as the main color. It also has a blood stripe, a red stripe worn on the sides of the ceremonial uniform trousers by officers and NCOs. The service dress is olive green and khaki for all ranks, meant to be worn on a daily basis on duty while not in the field, though in practice it has been superseded by the combat utility uniform, which consists of a camouflage pattern and is intended for service in the field or other physical labor. The evening dress, consisting of either a black-and-white officer suit or sometimes a fully white suit, is worn for special occasions (like balls and dinners), and is only given to officers because enlisted Marines would rarely be expected to attend such events.
The Dress Blues is considered the most iconic uniform of the Marines and is often used in recruitment advertising. The Service Greens are also iconic and were unique to the Corps for several decades between the 1960s and 2015, when Army Secretary Arian Lawrence reintroduced the Great War I-era Army Greens as the service uniform of the Army, though they use a darker shade of green than the Marine version.
Ranks
The Marine Corps has a similar rank structure to the Army with the exception of some unique ranks and a different system of general officer ranks. The rank of full general is a four-star rank, while in the Army it is a three-star rank, and the Army equivalent of a Marine General is a General of the Army. Furthermore the Corps has brigadier general as a one-star rank, while the Army does not use it at all and has major general as its one-star rank. Because the Corps is not a separate branch of the military but is part of the Navy the Commandant, the highest ranking officer, is always a lieutenant general (three-star general) while the Chief of the Naval Staff is a four-star admiral. Only when a Marine is appointed as the Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief (CSCIC) is he promoted to the four-star rank of full general.
- Officers
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| Special grade | O-10 | O-9 | O-8 | O-7 | O-6 | O-5 | O-4 | O-3 | O-2 | O-1 | Special grade | |
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| No equivalent | General | Lieutenant general | Major general | Brigadier general | Colonel | Lieutenant colonel | Major | Captain | First lieutenant | Second lieutenant | Officer cadet | |
- Warrant officers
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Warrant Officers | ||||
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| WO5 | WO4 | WO3 | WO2 | WO1 | |
Antillean Marine Corps (Edit) |
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| Chief warrant officer 5 | Chief warrant officer 4 | Chief warrant officer 3 | Chief warrant officer 2 | Warrant officer 1 | |
- Enlisted
| Pay grade |
Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-3 | OR-2 | OR-1 | ||||
Antillean Marine Corps (Edit) |
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| Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps | Sergeant major | Master Gunnery Sergeant | First sergeant | Master sergeant | Gunnery sergeant | Staff sergeant | Sergeant | Corporal | Lance corporal | Private first class | Private | |
Equipment
Ground vehicles
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Aircraft
Traditions
The U.C. Marine Corps has always placed more emphasis on its history than other service branches, with Marine recruits being required to learn about the history of the Corps during boot camp, and has sought to preserve its traditions that have been lost by their mainland counterparts since the Continental Revolutionary War. Pride in their history is also used to reinforce a strong esprit d'corps among Marines. Because of the strong historical tradition, and due to the Marines frequently being seen with President Amelia Abarough and other Federalist Party officials from the 1960s to the 1980s, the Corps has been accused by some of being a cult. Semper Fildelis, or Semper Fi, meaning "Always Faithful" in Latin, is the motto, while the official march of the Corps is the Marines' Hymn, the oldest Anglo-American military song, dating back to the 19th century. Before 1868 the official motto was "By Sea and By Land," a translation of the United Kingdom Royal Marines' Latin motto, Per Mare, Per Terram.
The flag and emblem of the UCMC includes the Eagle, Globe and Anchor (EGA) as the insignia. A variation of it was first adopted by the United States Marine Corps in 1804 following the tradition of the early Continental Marines, itself coming from the U.K. Royal Marines, and has continued to be used by the Antillean service to the present day. This Continental-Antillean tradition was also adopted by other marine forces around the world: the Sierran Royal Marines, the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, the Republic of China Marine Corps, the Royal Thai Marine Corps, and the Republic of Vietnam Marine Division use some variation of the EGA in their insignia. The mainland Continental Marines no longer use the emblem, but instead use the Anchor, Hammer, and Trident, which was adopted by the Continentalist Party as the new marine insignia in 1922.
The Marine Corps birthday is celebrated every year on July 11 as the founding of the service. This date marks the creation of the United States Marine Corps in 1798, during the Quasi-War against France. Less formally, the branch also considers the founding of the original Continental Marines during the American Revolution on November 20, 1775, to be part of its history, though they were disbanded after the Revolution in 1783, and the Marine Corps in its present form was not formally created by the U.S. government until 1798. The Antillean Marines consider the 1798 date (the USMC) to be the birthday of their service, while the mainland Continental Marine Corps celebrates the 1775 date (the original Continental Marines) as its birthday. Marines in both countries have a tradition of cutting a large birthday cake on July 11 (Antilles) or November 10 (mainland), with the highest-ranking Marine present getting the first slice and passing out slices to others, in the order of their ranks.
Two styles of swords are used for ceremonial purposes by the Marines: the Mameluke Sword for officers, which was given to U.S. Marines during the First Barbary War, and the Marine NCO sword. The Marine Corps developed its own martial arts program, the MCMAP, which is based on a combination of wrestling and East Asian martial arts. It originated in the 1930s after Antillean marines studied martial arts from the Sierran Royal Marines while working together with them during Great War I, who had began incorporating judo, jujitsu, and other eastern arts into an unarmed combat style, and several Marines NCOs developed their own system after returning to the Antilles at the end of the war. Recruits begin learning RCMAP during their initial training in boot camp and are encouraged to continue their training once on active duty. The Close Order Drill is also heavily instilled in Marine trainees from the start of their basic training, as it is frequently used at ceremonial functions and helps promote confidence in the command ability of officers and non-commissioned officers, as well as teaching weapons handling.
The Marine Corps Gazette is the professional magazine by and for the personnel of the Antillean Marine Corps. Founded in 1916, it continues to be published monthly since 2006 (bi-monthly prior to that), intending to serve as a discussion forum for issues facing the service, to advance knowledge of and interest in the Marines, and increase the education of Marines in military art and science. The Gazette publishes a combination of submitted articles, results of contests, interviews, and solicited articles. The chief editor of the magazine is always a retired Marine officer with the rank of colonel or higher.
Relationship with other services
Antillean
The UCMC and the Antillean Navy (UCN) are both part of the Department of the Navy (Antilles) and the Marines are a semi-autonomous service of the Navy. Joint forces involving naval fleets and marine units are known as "Navy-Marine Corps Teams," or simply as "the Naval Service." Operationally, Marine divisions provide a Fleet Marine Force for each of the Navy's two ocean-going fleets. Marine Corps aircraft are operate from Navy carriers and naval air bases on shore. The Marine Embassy Security Regiment works with the Navy's Fleet Security Battalions to provide security at shore facilities. The Marine Honor Guard and garrison at the Marine Corps Barracks, Columbia City, is subordinated to Naval Support Activity Columbia City, which itself is part of the Joint Task Force National Capital Region.
Other cooperation includes the training of Marine Corps officers at the United Commonwealth Naval Academy (though the majority are still trained at Marine OCS), all Marine aviators, and certain enlisted Navy and Marine personnel, such as combat divers. The Marine Corps also provides ground support to the training of certain Navy technical specialists. During operations, the Navy provides transportation and logistics for Marine forces, as well as medical and dental personnel, as the Marines do not have their own medical personnel, and rely on Navy hospital corpsmen. Air support for Marine operations on the ground is also provided by the Navy's Aviation.
The responsibilities of the Marine Corps also often overlap with the Antillean Army (UCA), which historically led to tensions between the two services, along with the fact that the UCMC is not a separate branch of the Armed Forces like the Army and Navy are.
Foreign
See also
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This page uses material from the Wikipedia page United States Marine Corps, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (view authors).
