It has roles similar to the ones of the USMC Reconnaissance Battalions and of the British Royal Marine Commandos.

The Fuzileiros remains an all-volunteer force with an intensive screening and selection process followed by combat-focused training.

In 1797, in the reign of Queen Maria I, all the regiments of the Navy were merged and integrated into the new Royal Brigade of the Navy (Brigada Real da Marinha), which included three divisions: Fusiliers (fuzileiros), Artillerymen (artilheiros) and Artificers (artifices e lastradores).

This contingent of the brigade continued to remain in Brazil, even after its independence in 1822, given origin to what is now the Brazilian Marine Corps.

During the Portuguese Civil War (1828–1834), the Royal Brigade of the Navy aligned on the side of the Miguelite forces.

All seamen of the Corps received a general training that included seamanship, artillery, infantry, bladed weapon combat, boarding and amphibious landing.

In each company, a number of seamen received an advanced training in naval artillery, constituting its squad or artillerymen.

From this date, whenever there was a need to perform an amphibious operation, landing detachments were constituted with seamen taken from the ships' crews.

All activities are timed and scored: marching several tens of kilometers with equipment and weapon, land and mud obstacle courses, navigation at night on the ground.

The later stages of the course are mostly field based exercises mimicking real operations within land and amphibious theaters.

This last phase puts into test what was taught and practised in the initial stages like reconnaissance patrols, assault raids, ambushes, CQB/urban operations, SERE, NBC warfare etc.

After completing their training with success, the Fuzileiros receive the dark blue beret and the course badge on an official ceremony before being assigned to operational units.