The Portuguese Marine Corps () is the naval infantry of the Portuguese Navy, responsible for conducting amphibious warfare and performing special operations. It has roles similar to those of the British Royal Marines and the United States Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalions. The Portuguese Marine Corps specialises in maritime interdiction, providing security at naval bases or shore stations, amphibious warfare, coastal reconnaissance and raiding, commando-style raids, reconnaissance for gathering military intelligence, support special operations, air assault, anti-tank warfare, counterinsurgency, mountain warfare, desert warfare, urban warfare, jungle warfare, maneuver warfare, irregular warfare, indirect fire support raiding, ISTAR, tracking targets, and VBSS operations. Operating as a rapid reaction force, today's Corpo de Fuzileiros is an elite marine commando-style raid force. The Fuzileiros remains an all-volunteer force with an intensive screening and selection process followed by combat-focused training. Fuzileiros are resourced to maintain exceptional proficiency, experience and readiness.
History
16th–18th century
The Portuguese Marines () have their origin in the oldest permanent military unit of Portugal and second-oldest marine corps in the world, the Terço of the Navy of the Crown of Portugal (), created in 1618. However, since 1585, specialized troops had existed to provide artillery and riflemen aboard Portuguese warships.
From its conception in the 17th century, the Navy's Terço was considered an elite unit. As the King of Portugal possessed only the ceremonial Royal Guard of the Archers, the marines of the Terço da Armada were not only responsible for operating and defending Portugal's warships but also for fulfilling the role of bodyguard of the Monarchs.
In the 18th century, the Terço da Armada was divided into two regiments of naval infantry. At the end of the century, in 1791, a third regiment of naval artillery was added to the force, and in 1797, during the reign of Queen Maria I, all the regiments of the Navy were merged into a new corps known as the Royal Marine Brigade (), which included three divisions: Fusiliers (), Artillerymen () and Artificers ().
19th century
In 1807, the brigade was reorganized into three battalions, all of them of artillerymen. In 1808, the Army of Napoleon invaded and occupied Portugal. In order to avoid capture and maintain Portuguese sovereignty, the Royal Family and most of the Court relocated to the Portuguese colony of Brazil, aboard the Portuguese fleet and accompanied by the majority of the Royal Marine Brigade. This contingent of the brigade remained in Brazil even after its independence in 1822, giving origin to what is now the Brazilian Marine Corps. In 1809, a force of the brigade in Brazil participated in the Portuguese conquest of French Guiana.
With most of the original force of the brigade remaining in Brazil, in 1822 it started to be reconstituted in Portugal. In 1823, it was organized into two battalions. During the Portuguese Civil War (1828–1834), the Royal Marine Brigade fought on the side of the Miguelite forces. On the opposite side, however, the Liberals created a Marine Battalion (). In 1832, the Liberal Marine Battalion was augmented and transformed into the 4-battalion Navy Regiment (). In 1836, already after the end of the Civil War, the Royal Marine Brigade was disbanded and replaced by the new Naval Battalion () created in 1837.
In each of the ships' crews of the Portuguese Navy, only the officers and the members of the embarked detachments of the Naval Battalion (and previously of the former Royal Marine Brigade) were military personnel, with the sailors being civilians. The different status of the several parts of the crews always created issues.
1851–1924: Corps of Military Seamen
In 1851, the decision was taken to militarize the sailors, with the creation of the Corps of Military Seamen (). This Corps started to be responsible for the providing of the ships' crews. It was organized in 22 crew companies, each one subdivided in two half-companies, plus a depot company. Each of these companies and half companies was intended to constitute the crew of a ship, in rotation. All seamen of the Corps received a general training that included seamanship, artillery, infantry, bladed weapon combat, boarding and amphibious landing. In each company, a number of seamen received an advanced training in naval artillery, constituting its squad or artillerymen. This military training meant that the seamen were able to assume the responsibility to perform also the role of naval infantry when needed, what made unnecessary the existence of the Naval Battalion, which was then dissolved.
From this date, whenever there was a need to perform an amphibious operation, landing detachments were constituted with seamen taken from the ships' crews. For the colonial campaigns of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and for the World War I, larger naval infantry forces and naval battalions were organized in the Corps of Seamen itself.
20th century
1924–1934 In 1924, a permanent unit of naval infantry was again created, this being the new Naval Guard Brigade (). However, it ceased to exist in 1934, with the role of naval infantry being again entirely assumed by the regular seamen when needed.
1960–present
The Elite Navy Commandos only reappeared as permanent force in 1961. In 1960, four members of the Portuguese Navy (one officer and three enlisted sailors) were selected to attend the Commando Course at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines in Lympstone, England, completing it successfully and leading, in 1961, to the establishment of the Navy’s Commando force—the Fuzileiros. Upon their return in early 1961, the Portuguese Navy formally established the Fuzileiros as an elite counter-guerrilla commando force to meet the demands of the Overseas War that began that year.
Following Royal Marines Commandos tradition, those first cadres adopted the green beret—worn pulled to the right with the bronze-shield (Globe and Laurel) badge above the left eye—to signify commando qualification. However, Portugal's airborne forces (Paratroopers' Regiment), who were the first Portuguese to wear any beret (a dark-forest green) starting in 1956, already used green headgear. To avoid confusion, the Fuzileiros chose a distinct dark navy-blue beret.
The starting the formation of the Elite Navy Commando Force Fuzileiros. The Fuzileiros were created in 1961 as counter-guerrilla navy special forces, corresponding to the Portuguese Navy's need to have units specially adapted to this type of warfare, which it had to face within the scope of the Overseas War, which began in 1961. With the beginning of the Portuguese Colonial War. Besides the Marines School (), two types of operational marine units were created at that time, these being the detachments of special marines (DFE, ) and the companies of marines (CF, ). While the DFE were designed to operate as Marine Raiders units, the CF were focused in the naval patrolling and in the defense of naval ships and facilities. During this war, and up to 1975, more than 14,000 marines fought in Portuguese Guinea, Angola and Mozambique.
Until 1975, a unified Marine Corps Command did not exist, with the diverse DFE and CF being separate units, depending from the several naval and maritime defense commands of the areas where they operated. In this year, the Marine Corps () was created, unifying all marine units under a single command and become Elite Raid Force. Since 2021, the Portuguese Marine Corps have been undergoing restructuring, with the implementation of the new 'light and fast' concept. This approach enables the application of guerrilla tactics from sea to land, emphasizing mobility, maneuverability, surprise, and superior training as key elements. The goal is to create an elite Marine Commando force, capable of moving, infiltrating, and withdrawing with complete surprise.
Organization
Since 2015, the Portuguese Marine Corps is organized into:
Marines Corps Command (); Marines Corps support departments (Administrative and Financial, Operations, Resources Management and General Support); Marines School () - Training Unit
Landing Means Unit ( (UMD)) - landing craft unit Boarding Platoon-VBSS (PelBoard) - naval boarding unit Force Projection Unit Includes three permanent Marine forces: 1st Marine Task Unit (FFZ1) - landing task unit Combat Group Alfa (GC.A) Combat Group Bravo (GC.B) Combat Group Charlie (GC.C) 2nd Marine Task Unit (FFZ2) - landing task unit 3rd Marine Task Unit (FFZ3) - landing task unit Special Actions Detachment ( (DAE)) - SOF unit. Constitutes a special operations maritime task unit (SOMTU).
The permanent task units of the Force Projection Unit are designed to conduct Commando Raids.
The Marine Corps elements are based at the Vale do Zebro facilities (Marines School) and the Alfeite facilities Marines Base.
Training
Initial training to become an enlisted Fuzileiro (marine) lasts about 42 weeks. The training is conducted at the Marines School () in Vale de Zebro. It is physically and mentally rigorous and demanding, with only 15% to 35% of the initial trainees passing and becoming Fuzileiros.
Since the founding of the Fuzileiros School, training has remained unparalleled: every exercise is timed and scored, and any failure is immediately “punished” with additional physical tasks. Recruits undertake 20–30 km marches with full equipment in all weather conditions; traverse mud and land obstacle courses; conduct night-navigation drills; and participate in intensive weapons instruction, reconnaissance patrols, Commando style raid tactics, ambushes, CQB/urban operations, NBC Warfare, Tactical Emergency Medical, live-fire assault tactics, rappelling, climbing, small-craft handling, basic demolitions, communications exercises, and hand-to-hand combat . The final phase of the course consists of field exercises simulating real-world operations in both terrestrial and amphibious scenarios—reconnaissance patrols, commando-style raids, ambushes, urban combat (CQB), and SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape).
Culminating in a 50 km group march to be completed within a set time .
After completing their training with success, the Fuzileiros receive the dark blue beret and the course badge on an official ceremony before being assigned to operational units.
During and after the Fuzileiros Course, Fuzileiros military personnel receive training in areas as varied as:
Commando style raid tactics Unconventional warfare Surveillance and counter-surveillance of the battlefield Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) Small unit Tactics Basic English Long-range reconnaissance patrols Escape and evasion techniques Inactivation of conventional explosive devices Advanced First Aid Demolitions, mines and traps Combat Shooting Driving tactical vehicles IED dearmament Sapper Communications NBC - Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Abandonment of aircraft in immersion Shooting Hand-to-hand combat Fast Rope/Helicast/Rappel VBSS CQB Others.
Equipment
Infantry weapons