Indonesian Marine Corps Birthday Date in the current year: November 15, 2024

The history of the Indonesian Marine Corps dates back to the Indonesian National Revolution. It was officially formed on November 15, 1945 in Tegal. The original main purpose of the Corps Mariniers was to provide sailors with ground warfare skills that may come in handy in case of emergency.

Since the Indonesian Navy had very few ships and lacked proper equipment, the marines had to join guerrilla warfare against Dutch and British troops in the mountains and jungles of Java. In March 1948, the Corps Mariniers was officially transformed into a ground regiment of the Indonesian Army.

However, several months later the Indonesian Ministry of Defense acknowledged the need for naval infantry and established an amphibious commando unit named the Naval Commando Corps (Korps Komando) on October 9, 1948. Most of its first recruits were veterans of the Corps Mariniers who had fought in the Indonesian National Revolution.

Over the following years, the Corps took part in Operation Trikora in Western New Guinea (1961–1962), the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation (1963–1966), the Papua conflict (1962—present), the Indonesian invasion of East Timor (1975–1976), the Maluku Islands sectarian conflict (1999–2002), the Indonesian military operations in Aceh (1990–1998), Operation Madago Raya (2016—present), and other important military operations.

On November 15, 1975 the Chief of Staff of the Navy renamed the Commando Corps the Marine Corps, restoring the original name of the unit in honor of its 30th anniversary. The official name of the Indonesian Marine Corps is the Marine Corps of the Indonesian Navy (Korps Marinir Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Laut). As of 2018, it consisted of three divisions based in Sidoarjo, Jakarta and Sorong, one brigade, and an elite recon unit (Taifib).

The Indonesian Marine Corps is equipped with light tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, amphibious armored personnel carriers, armored personnel carriers, multiple rocket launchers, howitzers, anti-aircraft autocannons, anti-aircraft guns, armored recovery vehicles, amphibious vehicles, bridging vehicles, support vehicles, etc.

Indonesian marines are armed with semi-automatic pistols, combat shotguns, submachine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns and grenade-based weapons. The Corps has purchased its equipment and arms from Austria, Belgium, China, Czechoslovakia/the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Japan, Israel, Italy, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, the Soviet Union, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Indonesian marines wear purple berets with the emblem of the Marine Corps, which incorporates a golden anchor with a black chain, a blue lotus flower, a saber, and the Marine Corps motto “Glorious on the Land and Sea” in Sanskrit.