Namibia Marines

On 17th November 2011 a group of 50 Marine Corps graduated from Marines Training Centre at Rooikop. Initially the training consisted of 70 recruits who underwent a sixteen weeks of rigorous and elitist training to transform them into special breed of fighters, but at the end of day only 50 made it to the graduation day. Speaking at the occasion, Commander Appolos Haimbala, Marines Corps Commandant of the Marine Unit, pointed out that marines worldwide are considered as special elite force. He added that the Marines should take up its rightful place on par with worldwide Marine ethos. Commander Haimbala said, “All what we intend is to train our members to achieve the Chief of Defence Force and Navy Commander training directives.

"By any standard we are Naval Infantry and that we have to project naval power.” Similarly, Rear Admiral Peter Vilho said, it was a special day in the formation of the Marine Corps with the activation of 1st Marine Corps Infantry Company. He said 3rd Marine Corps Recruit Graduation On 17th November 2011 a group of 50 Marine Corps graduated from Marines Training Centre at Rooikop. the Marine School provides the recruits with exclusive training that Namibia has to offer. “It requires a serious level of self-discipline and commitment from those who aspire to earn the title of marines”, said the Navy Commander. After successfully completion of training the marines earned the eagle, the rifle and the anchor emblem of the Marine Corps. According to the Navy Commander, the marine’s motto will be discipline, determination and patriotism “which will be the way of life for serving one’s country. The marines will be expected to transform themselves into the yardstick, into the benchmark by which all others will be judged,” said Rear Admiral Vilho.

In his addressing remarks, Lt Gen Epaphras Ndaitwah, Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) said, the graduation started with a vision of the military leaders to have a naval force which was commissioned into the NDF on the 7th October 2004. He emphasised that for the Navy to accomplish its mission successfully, there was a need to establish the Marine Corps as a component of the Service. “The Namibian Navy would now be able to engage in offensive and defensive operations against the enemy and jointly operate with both the Army and the Air Force when is required,”said the CDF. He also informed the Marine Corps that “being transformed and shaped into the finest marines of the Land of the Brave, Marine Corps must stand ready to ensure security and to represent what is right for Namibia.” The CDF pointed out that marine’s service is now needed more than ever before and they must be prepared to be assigned tasks and be able to decisively respond to any threat Namibia may face both onshore and offshore and within the national boundaries and beyond.

By 2016 Namibia had finished training a full battalion of marines and formally commissioned its Marine Corps, as well as a new training facility. The battalion was commissioned at the Wilbard Tashiya Nakada Military Base (old Rooikop Military Base) near Walvis Bay by Commander-in-Chief of the Namibian Defence Force, President Hage Geingob on 22 July 2016 along with a new naval training school. The President said the Namibian Defence Force continued to grow and become more professionalised. The ceremony included officials from Brazil, which helped set up the marine corps, with Namibian soldiers being trained in Brazil. So far around 700 marines have been trained. A typical battalion comprises around 1 000 personnel. The naval training school includes an Olympic size indoor swimming pool.