The Commander Littoral Strike Group, , until 2019 termed Commander Amphibious Task Group,, is a senior British Royal Navy appointment. It was first established in May 1965 as Commodore Amphibious Warfare, a title originally held by Commodore, Amphibious Forces, Far East Fleet until 1971, whereupon it transferred back to the UK. The office holder today commands the Littoral Strike Group, which makes up the majority of the Joint Expeditionary Force, including at least one of the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.
History
First created in May 1965 as Commodore Amphibious Warfare, upon establishment the role was tied to the separate post of Commodore, Amphibious Forces, Far East Fleet, which was based at Singapore Naval Base after the Royal Navy’s Amphibious Warfare Squadron was transferred from Middle East Command to the Far East Fleet. In March 1971, following the withdrawal from Singapore, and the return of 3 Commando Brigade to the UK, COMMAFFEF was abolished and COMAW and his staff moved to Fort Southwick, just outside Portsmouth. In 1981, Commodore Michael Clapp moved COMAW to Stonehouse Barracks in order to be based alongside HQ 3 Commando Brigade again. Following the pivotal role of the Royal Navy’s amphibious forces during the Falklands War, when Cdre Clapp directed the Amphibious Group of the British task force, alongside Brigadier Julian Thompson, this co-location of the two Headquarters has endured ever since. The position was renamed from COMAW to Commander Amphibious Task Group on 1 December 1997, following the establishment of the Amphibious Warfare Squadron in March 1997. From 1965 to 1971, the post reported to Commander-in-Chief, Far East Fleet, and after return to the UK, from 1971 to 1979 the post holder reported to Flag Officer, Carriers and Amphibious Ships. From 1979 to 1992 he reported to the Flag Officer, Third Flotilla, and from 1992 has reported to the two-star deployable battlestaff commmander, currently titled Commander UK Strike Force. Until 2011, COMATG was one of the three deployable maritime headquarters who reported to the battlestaff, along with the Commander of the United KingdomCarrier Strike Group and the Commander of the UK Task Group. However, following the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010, COMCSG and COMUKTG were abolished as separate commands and COMATG became the sole deployable HQ, under the new title of COMUKTG, responsible for command of the Response Force Task Group. At this point, the former Commander UK Task Group became Deputy Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces. In March 2015, this reorganisation was partially reversed when the post of COMUKTG reverted to its previous title of COMATG, and the RFTG became the Joint Expeditionary Force. COMATG was re-titled as COMLSG on 1 October 2019, to reflect the expanded role of the post to incorporate Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers at the heart of a new Littoral Strike Group.
Roles and Responsibilities
COMLSG is one of the Royal Navy's deployable one-star Maritime Component Commander held at Very High Readiness in order to respond to unexpected global events. In most circumstances, COMLSG and his staff would deploy in the Fleet Flagship in order to command the maritime element of the UK's Joint Expeditionary Force Task Group. While structured and trained to conduct high intensity war-fighting, COMLSG staff are capable of commanding a diverse range of activities such as evacuation operations, or disaster relief. COMLSG, who is based in Royal Marines Barracks Stonehouse, reports to Commander United Kingdom Strike Force.
