An exclusively brown-water force since Laos is a landlocked country, the new ANL River Squadron was provided at the time with eleven ex-French Navy FOM escort crafts, which had seen service during the First Indochina War, ten Mytho- class flat-bottomed wooden boats and six outboard canoes for light transportation duties.

[5] In November 1972, the MRL carried out its third and final combat operation, when it was called to participate in the defence of the river town of Thakhek, the capital of Khammouane province in the Military Region 3 (MR 3), threatened by a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) ground offensive.

Several FOM 11 gunboats were dispatched up the Mekong from Savannakhet and promptly arrived near Thakhek, providing heavy-weapons fire in support of a combined RLA counter-offensive that successfully repulsed the North Vietnamese assaults.

By April 1975, Royal Lao Navy strength peaked at 500 Ratings and enlisted men led by Commander Tiao Sinthanavong Kindavong,[7] who manned a single river flotilla totalling 42 light vessels, divided since the mid-1950s into a patrol squadron (Escadrille Fluviale du Haut Mekong – EFHM) and a squadron-sized transport section (Séction de Transports Fluviaux du Laos – STFL).

Besides its tiny surface fleet, the MRL was also unique in its genre for not maintaining a permanent Naval Infantry branch or even specialist combat diver/Marine Commando units.

The jacket had a double row of six gilt metal anchor motif buttons, and was worn with a white shirt and black tie, completed with matching Beige-Khaki trousers.

[1] Enlisted personnel also received a French-style Beige-Khaki service uniform or Sailor suit, consisting of a Navy jumper (or pullover shirt) and trousers flared as "bell bottoms".

The tunic's front fly was secured by gilt metal buttons initially bearing the ANL Airavata crest (Erawan), replaced after 1959-60 by a FAR wreathed "Vishnu" trident motif.

The French Navy's M1948 shirt (Chemise kaki clair Mle 1948) featured a six-buttoned front and two pleated breast pockets closed by pointed flaps, was provided with shoulder straps (Epaulettes) and had long sleeves with buttoned cuffs.

While the cut of the matching khaki trousers was virtually identical to the Navy pattern, the shirt had two patch breast pockets closed by clip-cornered straight flaps and shoulder straps.

[16] On active service, Laotian Navy boat crewmen wore French all-arms M1947 drab green fatigues (Treillis de combat Mle 1947), standard issue in the FAL in the 1950s.

MRL personnel also began to wear U.S.-supplied OG 107 jungle fatigues, standard issue in the FAR;[12] Thai and South Vietnamese versions, as well as Laotian-made copies were also worn.

[16] During the 1960s and early 1970s, a wide range of OG Boonie hats and baseball caps from the United States, South Vietnam and Thailand were adopted by MRL Ratings and enlisted men.

In the later 1960s, the MRL standardized on the M-1 1964 model provided with the U.S. Army Mitchell "Clouds" camouflage pattern cover (usually removed on the field), though many boat crewmen retained the older American and French steel helmets throughout the War.

Under the new regulations, MRL officers were now entitled to wear on their service or dress uniforms stiffened red shoulder boards edged with gold braid identical to the standard RLA pattern.

[18] There were no arm-of-service designations as such in the Royal Lao Navy, although when wearing Beige-Khaki service dress or U.S. OG jungle fatigues, naval personnel skills and trades were identified by collar badges, in either metal pin-on or cloth embroidered versions.