The Organisation & Structure of HM Royal Marines Cadets
His Majesty's Royal Marines Cadets were created in 1955 on the command of the Captain General Royal Marines and the Commandant General Royal Marines to be a branch of the Sea Cadet Corps, similar to the structure of the regular Royal Marines as part of the Royal Navy. The exceptions are the RM VCC, ICC, and CCF, which are not Sea Cadet units. The first Marine Cadet Detachment was opened at the Bristol Adventure Unit. Royal Marines Cadets were originally formed for "sturdy, adventurous boys", but nowadays 30% of Cadets are female.
Sea Cadet Units may open a Royal Marines Cadets Detachment, who will use the same facilities, parade alongside Sea Cadets and fall under the command of the unit CO. Royal Marines Cadets wear the uniform of the Royal Marines with the exception of Commando qualification badges, and wear cadet-specific insignia. They follow a much more land-based training programme, with emphasis on subjects such as Weapons Handling, Military Map Reading, Fieldcraft and basic level Military Tactics, strongly encouraged to train in the principles of Seamanship.
All Royal Marines Cadets look to the regular Corps of Royal Marines for their styles and standards of dress, drill and training. As such, they form a large part of the wider Royal Marines family.
His Majesty King Charles III, Captain General Royal Marines.
Cadets and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAVs) wear the Royal Marines blue beret, with red tombstone patch behind the cap badge. RMC CFAVs who have completed either Royal Marines Commando training or the All Arms Commando Course at CTCRM Lympstone, are entitled to wear the Commando Green Beret, subject to permission from the SRMO. Few Detachments are Male only due to staffing limitations, however, the majority also take female Royal Marines Cadets who make up 30% of the total complement of numbers. As of 6 July 2014, following a tri-partite RMC parade at Buckingham Palace in the presence of the late Duke of Edinburgh, in his capacity as Captain General Royal Marines, and in celebration of the 350th anniversary of the formation of the Royal Marines, all RM Cadets from the SCC, CCF and VCC shall be entitled to be known as His Majesty's Royal Marines Cadets.
The Royal Marines Cadets of the SCC, CCF and VCC are overseen by the Royal Marines Cadet Council which meet every six months. The RMC Council is led by the Colonel Commandant Royal Marines Cadets. All the 'flavours' of RM Cadets (SCC/CCF/VCC) are represented along with the RM Corps Secretariat, RM Corps Colonel, RMA, RMBS, Corps RSM, RMR RSM and the CGRM.
It is the greatest possible pleasure to assume the role of your Captain General. I am exceptionally proud to follow in the footsteps of so many members of my family over the last three and a half centuries, all of whom held the role with a deep sense of admiration.
The Royal Marines have a distinguished and unparalleled history, both on land and at sea. I draw immense inspiration from your courage, determination, self-discipline and a remarkable capacity to endure in the most extreme environments.
I feel greatly honoured to become part of the Corps Family and very much look forward to meeting many of you in the near future. In the meantime, this comes with my heartfelt and special wishes for a very happy 358th birthday.
Per Mare, Per Terram.
Royal Marines Cadets are organised nationally, by region, and locally. At national HQ Level, the operational head of the Royal Marines Cadets (SCC) is the Royal Marines Cadets Senior Staff Officer (RMCSSO) who is aided by Support Company Royal Marines Cadets and the Senior Royal Marines Officer (SRMO), who is a serving regular Royal Marines Warrant Officer or Colour Sergeant on secondment to the SCC as a Training Support Adviser. They are all responsible for overseeing the running of the RMC and reporting to the CSC.
At regional level, Royal Marines Cadets are formed into Companies, Divisions or at Units in Independent Schools.
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ALPHA Company – SCC South West Area
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BRAVO Company – SCC North West Area
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LIMA Company – SCC London Area
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X-RAY Company – SCC Eastern Area
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YANKEE Company – SCC Northern Area
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ZULU Company – SCC Southern Area
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Support Company – SCC National
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KILO Company – ICC National
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Arboath Division – VCC Scotland
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Chivenor Division – VCC North Devon
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Gosport Division – VCC West Hampshire
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Lympstone Division – VCC East Devon
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Plymouth Division – VCC South Devon
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Portsmouth Division – VCC Hampshire
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Combined Cadet Force – CCF Independant Schools
An SCC RMC company will have a Company Commander, who leads a Coy HQ which is usually structured as below:
Company Commander, Company Second in Command (2IC), Company Sergeant Major (CSM), Troop Officers (TOs) Company Training Officer (CTO), Company Drill Leader (1st Drill), Company Medical Officer (CMO), Company Training Safety Adviser (CTSA), Company Quartermaster (CQM) – The CQM organises Company Stores, Victualling, Accomodation and Logistics, Company Quartermaster Sergeant (CQMS) – The CQMS assists with carrying out the duties of the Quartermaster. All of these ranks are courtesy appointments held by civilians mostly acting in the role of uniformed adult volunteers.
At local level, Royal Marines Cadets are formed up in Troops made up of Detachments. For the SCC not every Unit has a Royal Marines Cadet Detachment, so using Sea Cadet Districts could result in Troops formed of one Detachment or none. As such, Troop borders are independent and cross SCC District boundaries. There are several Troops in an SCC Company and are numbered 1 Troop, 2 Troop etc. Each Troop has a Troop Officer and a Troop Senior. The Troop Officer and Troop Senior organise Troop level training and are primarily responsible for the maintenance of the very high standards expected of the Detachments in their designated area.
SCC RMC Detachments are part of a local Sea Cadet Unit and usually consist of a minimum of eight cadets, making up a Rifle Section. A Detachment can have as many Rifle Sections as there are sufficient CFAVs to facilitate the training. These are numbered No.1 Section, No.2 Section, and so on. A Detachment is commanded by a Detachment Commander, and Rifle Sections are usually run by Cadet Junior NCOs supervised by the Detachment Commander.
VCC, ICC, and CCF Units follow a very similar command structure, but are not part of the Sea Cadet Corps.
Gibraltar Cup Competition
The Gibraltar Cup was presented by then Commandant General Royal Marines General Sir Campbell Richard Hardy, KCB, CBE, DSO & Bar. and named from one of the Battle Honours of our Corps. It is awarded annually to the Royal Marines Cadet Detachment (RMCD) of the SCC which is considered to have attained the highest standard of all-round merit in the previous year.
The aim of the Gibraltar Cup Competition is for the best detachment in each Company to compete for the top award for the Royal Marines Cadets of the Sea Cadet Corps. It is held in March (annually) at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM), Lympstone, Devon.
Awards & Qualifications Offered
The Royal Marines Cadets of the Sea Cadet Corps are authorised trainers for awards and qualifications issued by the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, the Royal Yachting Association, BTEC (Marine Engineering), and the British Canoeing Union. Click on the logos below to find out more information about these organisations and the awards and qualifications offered.
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Future Royal Marines Cadets
It is believed that during 2026/7 the SCC, VCC and CCF will come under the governance of a combined organisation of Royal Navy Cadet Forces more directly controlled by the Royal Navy and MOD, although the exact details of this new organisation have yet to be published in detail. The ICC will continue to operate independently, similarly to their current organisational structure.
MOD Indemnity
Provided a Royal Marines Cadet Detachment has been approved, they will be included in the MOD Indemnity, meaning that the unit is able to use Ministry of Defence (MOD) training areas, property and equipment; including boats, for RMC SCC when compliant with MSSC regulations, policies and procedures, and Field Training Planning Procedures, including Training Afloat Regulations and Safety (TARS) and Inshore Boating Operating Standards (IBOS).
