Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces

Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces or COMUKMARFOR is a senior post in the Royal Navy. The post is the highest seagoing command in the Royal Navy and is part of the Fleet Battle Staff based in Portsmouth, part of the former Commander-in-Chief Fleet's staff and now accountable to Fleet Commander. The commander has the rank of Rear-Admiral.

History
The Commander UK Maritime Forces is a renaming of a previous position, Commander United Kingdom Task Group. Despite the name change, he still performs the same function. He is in command (at sea) of naval task forces and task groups formed for specific operations. The Commander would command the UK Amphibious Task Group. Previously, there was also Commander United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group (COMUKCSG); however, with the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, this has been removed. The new Commander UK Task Group (COMUKTG) specialises in Maritime Security. The UK Amphibious Task Group was renamed as Response Force Task Group as a result of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Organisation within the Royal Navy Fleet
COMUKMARFOR directs the COMUKTG (who commands the Response Force Task Group). He works closely with his equal in the Fleet Battle Staff, the Commander UK Amphibious Forces (COMUKAMPHIBFOR) who is a Royal Marine of equivalent rank. COMUKMARFOR is responsible for blue-water warfare, as opposed to COMUKAMPIBFOR who is responsible for amphibious warfare.

Past Operational Deployments directed by COMUKMARFOR
Commodore Cunningham, the previous COMUKCSG, flew his flag throughout the January to May Orion '08 deployment, as Commander Task Group 328.01, which included exercises with the Indian Navy, aboard HMS Illustrious (R06).

The Naval Task Group for Operation VELA, a three month deployment to West Africa in 2006, was under the command of Commander UK Amphibious Group, Commodore Phil Jones. The VELA deployment involved a significant number of Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships, the Royal Marine Commandos and helicopters. The Task Group included HMS Albion (L14), HMS Ocean (L12), HMS Southampton (D90), HMS Argyll (F231), RFA Wave Knight, RFA Mounts Bay, RFA Sir Bedivere, RFA Fort Austin, HMS Enterprise (H88), RFA Diligence, RFA Oakleaf, Mine Counter Measure Squadron 1 and a Fleet submarine together with the Fleet Lead Commando Group, consisting of 40 Commando Royal Marines, 59 Commando Independent Engineering Squadron, 29 Commando Royal Artillery and 539 Assault Squadron Royal Marines. Also involved were elements of Fleet Diving Unit 2 and 849 (B) Flight from RNAS Culdrose. Embarked in HMS Ocean for the deployment a Tailored Air Group (TAG) was formed, consisting of Sea King helicopters of 845 Naval Air Squadron, 846 Naval Air Squadron, Merlin Mk 1 aircraft from 820 Naval Air Squadron and Lynx helicopters of 847 Naval Air Squadron. The Vela task group conducted an amphibious exercise, Exercise Green Eagle, in Sierra Leone.

Task Groups despatched to the Far East since 2003 have included deployments in 2003, 2004, and 2005. In 2003, Naval Task Group 03 had been intended to take part in FPDA exercises in the Asia-Pacific region but was diverted for involvement in the 2003 Iraq War. Eventually part of the Naval Task Group including HMS Liverpool (D92), HMS Marlborough (F233) and RFA Grey Rover departed Gulf waters, after the intervention phase of the Iraq War (2003), en route for Exercise Flying Fish, with Commonwealth-partners and members of the Five Power Defence Arrangements which are the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. In 2004, HMS Exeter (D89), HMS Echo (H87), RFA Diligence and RFA Grey Rover visited the Asia-Pacific region. In 2005, Liverpool, with RFA Grey Rover, made such a deployment.

Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces
Commanders have been as follows:
 * Rear-Admiral James Burnell-Nugent (2001 to 2002)
 * Rear-Admiral David Snelson (2002-2004)
 * Rear-Admiral Charles Style (2004-2005)
 * Rear-Admiral Neil Morisetti (2005-2007)
 * Rear-Admiral George Zambellas (2007-2008)
 * Rear-Admiral Philip Jones (2008-2009)
 * Rear-Admiral Peter Hudson (2009-2011)
 * Rear-Admiral Duncan Potts (2011-2013)
 * Rear-Admiral Robert Tarrant (2013-)

Deputy Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces

 * Commodore Simon Ancona (Jan 2011-Jun 2011)
 * Commodore John Clink (Jun 2011–Oct 2012)
 * Commodore Jeremy J.F. Blunden (Oct 2012)