Sir, – I read with interest the article ‘Meritocracy and a Royal Marine route to First Sea Lord’ in the Summer 2023 edition of the Naval Review. The author makes several good points but I believe there are some other important considerations. Firstly, there is public credibility. For most civilians, including those in government and the media, Royal Marines are soldiers and therefore part of the Army. Their uniform, rank structure and role on land as infantry does little to dispel this myth. In my view, the Royal Marines missed a golden opportunity during rank realignment with the Army in 1999…
