A storied name from the Royal Marines’ past has been brought back into service, as the unit formerly known as the Commando Logistic Regiment has officially become 48 Commando Support Group Royal Marines, restoring a title that carries deep historical significance and reconnecting today’s Royal Marines with the heroes who first bore it.
The change became fully official on 1 August 2026, and marks a deliberate effort to honour the legacy of the Royal Marines while looking firmly towards the future of amphibious warfare.
Fifty-Four Years of Service, Now Under a New Name
The outgoing Commando Logistic Regiment name carried with it 54 years of history, sustaining operations that included the Falklands Conflict, two wars in Iraq, the long campaign in Afghanistan, and countless other missions carried out by British forces around the world. What does not pass into history, however, is the unit’s hard-won expertise in providing agile, expeditionary logistics, sustaining amphibious and land operations all the way from ship to shore, wherever the UK Commando Force needs it.
By reviving the 48 Commando name, the unit now joins eight other Commando units, forming part of a globally deployable amphibious strike force capable of operating in the most demanding of environments against the hardest of targets.
A Heritage Rooted in D-Day
Brigadier Richard Morris, Commander of the UK Commando Force, explained that the rebirth of 48 Commando aligns neatly with the launch of the UK Commando Force earlier this year, in June. He noted that the unit’s role, optimised for operations in Europe, draws upon a heritage that reaches back to Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy, ensuring that the history of the Royal Marines is woven directly into the future force.
The change of name has been fully approved by His Majesty The King, and brings the unit into line with the naming conventions used across the wider UK Commando Force, which now comprises 24, 29, 30, 40, 42, 43, 45, 47, and 48 Commando, each with its own specialist role in supporting Britain’s amphibious capability.
Old Name, New Mission
For the Royal Marines, the revival of 48 Commando is more than a change of title. It is a reminder that today’s servicemen and women stand on the shoulders of those who came before them, from the beaches of Normandy to the South Atlantic and the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan. As the UK Commando Force continues to develop as a modern, globally deployable amphibious strike force, it does so carrying forward a name, and a legacy, that has already proven itself time and again in defence of the nation.
Main image: MOD Crown Copyright News / Editorial Licence.
My dad would be happy .. he was in the 48 commando on d day … Sgt Albert Sands.
It makes me proud ! His son Steven Sands ex fleet air arm .
Thankyou for remembering those in the 48 commando … And all the other brave souls on that day , and throughout the whole conflict ..