Pakistan Marines

The Pakistan Marines (Urdu: ; English IPA: pɑkʰ məriːniz or/ simply Marines; reporting name PM), is an expeditionary and naval warfare uniform service branch of Pakistan Armed Forces that consists of active duty high-ranking officers and personnel of the Pakistan Navy. The Pakistan Marines are responsible for providing force projection from the sea, using the mobility of the Pakistan Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. Established in 1990, it is estimated about 2,000 active-duty personnel from the Navy, with plans to grow to brigade strength by 2015.

In a military leadership structure, the Marines are the component of Pakistan Navy, often working closely with the Navy for training, executing expeditionary operations and logistics purposes. The Marines are not the separate branch but a part of Pakistan Navy. The Marines were first formed as an amphibious battalion on 1 June 1971, in East-Pakistan as naval infantry to execute operations; however after producing poor performance in 1971 war with India, the Marines were disbanded from their service in 1974. In 1990, it was re-established by Commander Obaidullah since then it has been a part of Navy, often conducting operations with the Pakistan naval forces.

The Marines are an elite special operations force similar to the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and the United Kingdom's Royal Marines. During the training of the Pakistan Marines at Marines training school, the Marines occasionally conduct their exercises with the U.S. Marine Corps. As their close association with the Navy, the Marines share the same ranks with the Pakistan Navy but the military codes and trainings are the same as in the Pakistan Army. In 2010, Marines, with a close coordination with the Army, Navy, and Air Force, were working around the clock to rescue villagers trapped by the country's worst deluge in 80 years.

History
The Pakistan Marines traced its establishment history in 1971 when the East Pakistan Navy under Rear-Admiral Mohammad Shariff, formed the amphibious and expeditionary warfare wing on June 1, 1971. The unit consisting of a Marine Battalion and an Amphibious Wing to support riverine operations in East Pakistan. The entire geographical region of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) is covered with dead level plain, making highly difficult of Pakistan Army to conduct operations regarding the mechanized warfare, although an ideal place for amphibious warfare. The aim and objectives of Indian Army was to occupy strategic areas of East Pakistan, notably the Chittagong and Khulna. In these two areas, Indian Army aimed to establish the provisional government, the capture of the whole of East Pakistan was not even conceived. The Pakistan Navy in the East was capable of conducting the riverine operations, but with only four patrol craft and some two dozen improvised or confiscated river vessels. But it could hardly challenge the Indian Navy in deep waters, especially in the absence of air cover. The Marines on the other hand produced poor production of operations that completely surprised the Pakistan Armed Forces therefore, adopting the white papers of Hamoodur Rahman Commission, the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto disestablished, decommissioned and disbanded the Marines formation in 1974. The Marines were finally restored by Admiral Jasturul-Haq Malick, chief of naval staff of Navy, on 14 April 1990. Its initially objectives were to provide security to cover naval assets, naval bases, and to aide civil power using the Naval mobility. Immediately, the two battalions were raised after personnel from Naval police were drafted. Navy's Commander M. Obaidullah (PN. Service number 1558) was designated its first Commanding Officer. The Marines were headquartered at the Fort Qasim which was at that time under the operational control of PNS Himalayas. As a first step, PNS Qasim was commissioned as training Camp Depot Unit (DCU) on November 25, 1990. The commissioning crew consisted of eighty commissioned officers, sixty seven sailors from general service and forty three Marines. Since the Corps' establishment, Marines had performed their assigned task with utmost dedication and alacrity.

As part of the first combat assignment, the Marines were deployed at the Sir Creek region during the last decade, threat on the South-Eastern border increased manifolds, warranting an immediate response. Estimating the type and quantum of threat, the Pakistan Navy proposed deployment of a sizable force in the Sir Creeks region. The then-Rear Admiral Shahid Karimullah vigorously pursued the case of an additional battalion and its phase-wise development plan. Since, its inception, Creeks Battalion is deployed in its designated Area of Responsibility.

On 28 March 2013, Pakistan Navy commissioned the third battalion of Pakistan Marines in order to further strengthen the defense of the Gwadar Port and to enhance the security of vital Pakistan Navy assets and installations along the western coasts of Pakistan.

Pakistan Marines Headquarters
PNS Qasim is the naval base for the Pakistan Marines. It is responsible for general administration and logistics requirements of the Marines. Its roles include:
 * Act as logistics base for Marines.
 * Operational readiness of all segments of Marines.
 * Defense of designated operational area in Creek.
 * Provision of security coverage to VA/VPs of PN and sensitive projects of national importance.
 * Aid to civil power and rendering of assistance in case of natural calamities.
 * Provision of Air Defense cover to designated PN units and Karachi complex through deployment of Mistral Missiles, and Air Defense Balloons.
 * Responsible for conduct of basic and mid-career course for Marines.
 * Maintain liaison with other PN and Army Institutions for coordinating various courses of instructions.
 * Supervision/career management of Marines.
 * Ceremonial duties.

Organizations
The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, served as both the commandant of the Marines and as well as chief of the Navy. The Marines operational and intelligence directorates functioned by the Commander Coast Areas (COMCOAST) who directly reports to the chief of staff of the Navy. The Marine Training Center (MTC) was established in 1990 to impart basic and advance training to Marines and is equipped with modern training aid facilities to facilitate the conduct of various basic and advance-level courses. Earlier, the Marines were trained as naval infantry covering both aspects of sea and land warfare. The Marines are provided comprehensive training in unarmed combat, close-quarter battle, security duties, swimming, small-arms handling and infantry tactics.

The Pakistan Marine Academy (PMA) served as the four year educational institutional, while the Pakistan Naval Academy served as military ethics and training institutions for Marines where the Marines are trained together with the Navy personnel to adopt the naval warfare techniques and strategies and military code of Pakistan Armed Forces. At present, the basic and mid-career level training of Marines is being conducted on a regular basis and apart from Marines training, courses of varied nature for Navy, Chief Petty Officers and sailors, civil organizations and foreign trainees are also conducted at the MTC.

After passing the basic military training course, the Marines are forwarded to Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) where the Marines are trained together with the Pakistan Army units and formations. Upon completing the training courses from PMA, the Marines are sent to the army sponsored special weapons system schools, including specializing the operating the SAM missile systems, ordnance, and special security courses to protect naval bases on coastal areas. The Marines formations and personnel wears the camouflage uniforms when deployed to an operational environment but otherwise they wear Navy dress uniforms in public and international ceremonies.

Facilities
Marine Training Center is equipped with modern training aid facilities to facilitate the conduct of various basic and advance-level courses. Training aids include computer lab, library, gymnasium, assault course, watercrafts, models of weapons and instructional movies.

Commissioned officers rank
The order of hierarchy, commissioned and non-commissioned ranks structure of Marines are same and as equivalent of Pakistan Navy. There is no four-star rank in the Marines (the four-star admiral is the chief of naval staff and the highest admiral in the navy and marines), all unit formations of Marines directly reports of the Commander Coast (COMCOAST) while the Marines staff is directed and headed by a Chief of Staff of Marines, a three-star admiral in the Navy.

{| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="center" width="100%" !colspan=12| Structure of the Commissioned officer rank of the Pakistan Navy

{| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="center" width="100%" !colspan=12| Structure of the Enlisted rank of the Pakistan Navy