New Commanding Officer for Clyde based Royal Marine Commandos

The Royal Marines of Clyde-based 43 Commando have a new Commanding Officer with Colonel Jock Fraser MBE handing over to Colonel Tony de Reya MBE.

Colonel Fraser has been in command of the 550-strong unit since July 2015 and is moving on to a new role as Naval Regional Commander Wales and Western England, based in Bristol.

"It has been one of the pinnacles of my career, commanding a Royal Marine unit responsible for conducting operations 24 hours a day for 365 days of the year," said Colonel Fraser.

"43 Commando's primary mission of protecting the UK's Nuclear Deterrent is a tremendous responsibility and I have been consistently impressed by the marines and sailors who carry this responsibility with absolute professionalism."

He continued, "I have also been very proud to see Royal Marines from 43 Commando carrying out the unit's secondary role of providing maritime interdiction operations in the form of the Royal Marine Boarding Teams, Maritime Sniper Teams and the Fleet Contingent Troop to the Royal Navy.

"Over the past two years teams from 43 Commando have continued to achieve notable success in counter-narcotics operations around the world."

New Commanding Officer, Colonel Tony de Reya, completed his first appointment as a Troop Commander at 43 Commando in 1994.

He assumes the mantle of Commanding Officer after a recent deployment with NATO where he was in command of a nine-nation mission to train and advise Afghanistan's 7,000-strong special police.

"I am enormously proud to be assuming command of 43 Commando," said Colonel de Reya.

"The role the unit conducts contributes to the highest defence priority - the provision of the UK's Strategic Nuclear Deterrent. I am looking forward enormously to leading such a professional and highly capable team."