Summary and Key Points: The “Special Relationship” between the U.S. and UK faces a modern challenge from sensationalist media narratives.
-Recent rumors suggested that U.S. Marines suffered a “humiliating surrender” to the British Royal Marines’ 40 Commando during a simulated battle at Twentynine Palms.
U.S. Marine Pfc. Emily Zamudio with Alpha Company, Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry (SOI) West, prepares for a shooting drill at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton on Sept. 1, 2021. Zamudio graduated recruit training from the first female platoon to become Marines at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, May 2021. She then progressed to SOI West where she completed the Infantry Marine Course and earned the military occupational specialty of 0311, infantry Marine. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Tessa D. Watts)
-However, military officials from both nations have debunked these claims, emphasizing that the exercise was a non-scored “free-play” event focused on readiness and interoperability.
-With a shared history dating back to the Boxer Rebellion, the bond between “Leathernecks” and “Bootnecks” remains a cornerstone of NATO defense.
-This episode underscores the danger of “RUMINT” in undermining critical allied cooperation.
40 Commando vs. Leathernecks: The Debunked Story That Sparked a Transatlantic Media War
The bond between the United States and United Kingdom has long been termed “the special relationship.”
Militarily, that longstanding relationship has been manifested in such areas as the two countries’ mutual membership in NATO, as well as the longstanding kinship between the “Bootnecks,” i.e. the British Royal Marines, and the “Leathernecks,” i.e. the U.S. Marines.
However, certain elements of the British mainstream media appear to be trying to drive a wedge between American and British troops.
Is there much truth to the rumors they have put into the mill, or is it mostly pot-stirring?
A U.S. Marine with 9th Engineer Support Battalion (9th ESB), 3rd Marine Logistics Group, crawls through mud during the final obstacle of the endurance course as a part of the Basic Jungle Skills Course (BJSC) at Jungle Warfare Training Center, Camp Gonsalves, Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 15, 2023. The training taught Marines to successfully navigate through dense marsh and vegetation, rappel down steep cliffs, establish a patrol base and better their knowledge of patrolling and defensive operations. 9th ESB completed the BSJC to mentally and physically operate in harsh jungle environments. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Aaliyah Hunt)
The RUMINT (RUMor INTelligence)
The news comes to us from Sarah Sicard in an article for Marine Corps Times.
Sicard cites a piece in the Daily Telegraph that claimed the U.S. Marine Corps asked for a “reset” after Brits defeated them halfway through a five-day simulated battle at the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command and Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California:
“The publication wrote that the Royal Marines’ 40 Commando ‘dominated’ American troops and forced them into a humiliating surrender halfway through the exercise.”
The exercise involved Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 5th and 7th Marines, who participated along with British, Canadian, Dutch and Emirati troops.
Debunked by Both Sides
Spokespersons from both sides of the pond worked quickly to quash the Daily Telegraph scuttlebutt.
-Captain Zachary Colvin, the communications and strategy director with the Marine Air Ground Combat Center: “‘Winners’ are never determined. This exercise does not provide an opportunity to ‘surrender,’ ‘keep score,’ or ‘reset.’ The objective of the exercise is to heighten unit performance and increase readiness.
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Elijah Geiwitz fires an M4 carbine in the short bay during a live-fire rifle range for the combat marksmanship course on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, March 13, 2025. CMC refines Marines marksmanship fundamentals and enhances their lethality through advanced marksmanship training. Geiwitz, a native of Wisconsin, is an automotive maintenance technician with 3rd Landing Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Michael Taggart)
“During this exercise, a U.S. Marine Regiment augmented with subordinate units formed an adversary force to actively challenge and test a peer regiment of U.S. Marines. This training opportunity increased warfighting readiness and interoperability of the U.S. Marine Corps with multinational forces. Exercise scenarios are adjusted as needed to assist commanders in meeting training objectives.
“The exercise was conducted in a free-play environment designed to stress commanders, derive learning points and allow participants to improve their ability to conduct offensive and defensive operations, and adapt to changes on the battlefield.”
-Rob Lee, a PhD candidate at the Department of War Studies at Kings College, added: “These kind of garbage tabloid articles (no one surrendered and 40 Commando was teamed with U.S. Marine units) are the kind of thing that threaten future U.S.-UK exercises, which are beneficial for both sides. They also mistake the purpose of these exercises.”
For his part, Lieutenant Colonel Andy Dow, commanding officer of 40 Commando, gave this politically neutral statement to the Telegraph: “Our success has proved the new commando force concept is more lethal and sophisticated than ever before and I am immensely proud of every member of the LRG and their vital contributions.”
Anglo-American Marine Cooperation, Past & Present
Regardless of the relative accuracy of the rumors, the Marines of these two countries have a well-established and amiable working relationship.
Lance Cpl. Alex Rowan, a combat engineer with 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, 4th Marine Division, stationed out of Bessemer, Ala., runs to take cover before the Anti-Personnel Obstacle Breaching System detonates during the SAPPER Leaders Course aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., June 26, 2015. During the course, the Marines used assault and breaching techniques to clear a wire obstacle using line charges that utilized C4 explosives and their APOBS. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Krista James/Released)
For example, since 1972, these two entities have participated in an exchange program which consists of the following components:
-The Royal Marines send a Colour Sergeant (pay grade of OR-7, or E-8 in the U.S. Marine Corps) to act as the physical training advisor to the commanding officer of the USMC Officer Candidates School (OCS). The post-holder works directly with the commanding officer to decide the most effective and safest way for OCS students to train, and oversees personnel acting as physical training instructors.
-To return the favor, the U.S. Marine Corps sends an infantry-trained gunnery sergeant (E-7, or OR-7) to be the adviser to one of the Royal Marines’ platoon commanders. This individual helps to administrate one of the platoons of enlisted recruits going through the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines.
Going back even further in time to July 1900, Royal Marines and U.S. Marines fought alongside each other during the Boxer Rebellion. Long story short, as noted by retired Marine Corps Captain Dale Dye wrote in a July 22, 2025 article for The Armory Life, “In typical Marine fashion, Capt. [John T. “Handsome Jack”] Myers assembled a mixed force of American Marines, British Royal Marines and some Russian Naval Infantry to go on the offensive. On 3 July, Capt. Myers led a platoon-size night counterattack against Chinese barricades and achieved complete surprise.”
My Personal Interactions with Royal Marines
Although I have interacted with my fair share of foreign military personnel during my time as a U.S. Air Force officer private military contractor, as far as my senile old memory can recall, only two of those interactions were with Royal Marines. But they sure were memorable.
First, there was Anthony David James, whom I befriended virtually via firearms enthusiast web forums.
Tragically, he passed away in 2014 before I could meet him in person. Anthony served with the Royal Marines during the 1982 Falklands War, and had stories to share about those wartime experiences.
Pfc. Christina Fuentes Montenegro and other Marines from Delta Company, Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry-East, receive final instructions prior to assaulting an objective during the Infantry Integrated Field Training Exercise aboard Camp Geiger, N.C., Nov 15, 2013. Montenegro is one of three female Marines to be the first women to graduate infantry training with the battalion. Delta Company is the first company at ITB with female students as part of a measured, deliberate and responsible collection of data on the performance of female Marines when executing existing infantry tasks and training events, the Marine Corps is soliciting entry-level female Marine volunteers to attend the eight week basic infantryman and infantry rifleman training courses at ITB.
Then, there was “DG” (I’m only using his initials here, since I’m not sure if I have permission to use his full name), who was a Team Leader when he and I served on the Quick Reaction Forces during my final Iraq contract stint at Balad Airbase from 2015 to 2018.
Back in the day, “DG” served as an intelligence officer with 40 Commando during Operation Herrick (the British-led component of International Security Assistance Force operations in support of America’s Operation Enduring Freedom).
Prior to that, he had been a platoon commander with the South African Artillery branch of the South African National Defense Force. Not only was he proud of his Royal Marine service, he was definitely a highly motivated and tactically sound team leader.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He is also the author of the newly published book “Five Decades of a Fabulous Firearm: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Beretta 92 Pistol Series.”
