The Naval Service is the maritime branch of the British Armed Forces. It comprises:

• the Royal Navy, which since 2000 has included Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service;
• the Royal Marines;
• the Royal Fleet Reserve, the regular reserve of the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines;
• the Royal Naval Reserve, the volunteer reserve of the Royal Navy;
  • includes the Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service (Reserves).
• the Royal Marines Reserve, the volunteer reserve of the Royal Marines.

The term is an official one, and is not in widespread use: most people, in the UK and elsewhere, refer to the service as a whole as the Royal Navy (e.g., by describing the Royal Marines as part of the Royal Navy).

The April 2005 reported strength of the Naval Service was 36,320 (regulars).

Royal Navy