The following article is taken from the latest issue of the Globe & Laurel magazine.
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By the IA Cell
UKNL50 is a series of events to mark the 50th anniversary of the bilateral agreement of cooperation between the Royal Marines and our Dutch counterparts, the Korps Mariniers. Together we form the UK-Netherlands Amphibious Force and work closely together from the High North to the deserts of North Africa. HMS Albion and elements of X Coy, 45 Cdo Gp RM headed to Den Helder to take part in ‘Navy Days’, which is an annual event hosted by the Dutch Navy. The 30 Cdo Information Activities Cell deployed to the Netherlands as a bolstered Media Operations team to take the lead on media handling and content capture for the UK contingent.

X Coy had been embarked on HMS Albion since April as part of Op Rondache and this weekend was to be their final event of the deployment. Their task was to conduct a joint capability demonstration with the Korps Mariniers and Dutch Navy, showcasing our interoperability for the Dutch public. The displays included fast-roping, helicasting conducted by SRS, a 45 Cdo Gp RM joint UK/NL patrol and two Fire Support Variant (FSV) ORCs from 47 Cdo RG RM.
Coinciding with the amphibious displays being conducted by X Coy, the RM Sports Tour was also in the Netherlands, training for and competing against the Dutch Marines in a range of sports on Ex Dutch Gauntlet. It was a busy week for the team with Sgt Sidwell and LPhot Johnson deploying with the sports tour and after a brief RV in Amsterdam, the remainder of the team moved up to Den Helder to link up with HMS Albion.
The following days consisted of the camera teams capturing content of the sports teams’ training and preparation, and the preparation by X Coy for their joint demonstration with the Korps Mariniers. Once we had settled into our battle rhythm with our Dutch counterparts, we were able to explore the vast array of stalls that had been set out at Den Helder and even attend a concert in the naval base, put on especially for all the Dutch service personnel and their families.

Royal meeting the crowd
As the week progressed the sports tour began to really heat up as the RM rugby and football teams secured convincing victories, followed the next day by success for the boxing team. Overall, the Royal Marines teams put in a fantastic effort across all disciplines and emerged as overall winners.
Back in Den Helder, HMS Albion was abuzz with preparations ahead of the arrival of the Dutch Defence Minister, Kajsa Ollongren, and our Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge who had come to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for the next 50 years of cooperation between the two amphibious forces. The Ministers received a brief from the ship’s Captain before being given an immersive view of the display conducted by X Coy. They then headed to the bridge where they signed the MOU, marking another important step in our close relationship with the Korps Mariniers.
Overall, the week was a resounding success with the whole Royal Marines contingent working hard whilst also finding some time to enjoy the hospitality of our Dutch counterparts.
Read more from the Journal of the Royal Marines
For more information, and to read similar stories, visit: Globe & Laurel – RMA – The Royal Marines Charity (rma-trmc.org)
