43 Commando Fleet Protection Group

Military experience

Alan Litster joined the Corps in September 1987 and following YO training spent his Troop Commander year
in the then Comacchio Group RM. During this period, he was selected for a University Nomination at City
University London where he read Management and Systems Science graduating in 1992.

Following university, he returned to Scotland and 45 Cdo as Intelligence Officer for 2 years and then to
RM Poole to specialise as a Landing Craft officer. After specialisation, he served for just over 2 years
in Northern Ireland primarily responsible for boat operations on Lough Neagh for which he was awarded an
MBE. After Northern Ireland via junior staff training at JCSC, he returned to 45 Cdo as Adjutant for 2
years which saw a deployment to Honduras during Op TELLAR to provide disaster relief following Hurricane
Mitch.

Staying within 3 Cdo Bde, he next served in the Bde HQ as SO3 G2, a period that encompassed the Bde’s
Peace Enforcement tour of Kosovo as part of Op AGRICOLA IV. During that tour, he was selected to attend
the USMC Command and Staff course in Quantico, Virginia. On completion of staff college, he returned to
the UK and to COMUKAMPHIBFOR as SO2 Ops, a period dominated by Op TELIC 1 where he was part of the
1(UK)Armd Div LO team to the USMC MEF throughout the ground campaign.

He returned to Regimental duty in 2003, taking command of A Coy 40 Cdo, a period that saw a Winter
Deployment and a return to Iraq for Op TELIC IV. Promotion to Lt Col followed and he was appointed to
CT&UK Ops in the MOD as SO1 Overseas Counter Terrorism with responsibility for projects in the Middle
East, Arabian Peninsular and Africa. His second tour as a Lt Col was as COS to HQ 3 Cdo Bde, a period
dominated by the preparations for and deployment on Op HERRICK 9 for which he was awarded the OBE. For
his final tour as a Lt Col, he was OC Command Wing at CTCRM, responsible for all commissioned and
non-commissioned command training for the Royal Marines.

Alan Litster was selected for promotion to Colonel in 2010 and took command of FPGRM on 12 May 2011.

He is married to Helen, they have one daughter and live in Exmouth. His interests are sailing, surfing, skiing
and shooting.