Paramilitary
Organization similar to, but not part of, a military
- 2 min read
- 3 chapters
Related on Lably
Through Political organisation, Violence and Military
Legality
Under the law of war, a state may incorporate a paramilitary organization or armed agency (such as a law enforcement agency or a private volunteer militia) into its combatant armed forces. Some countries' constitutions prohibit paramilitary organizations outside government use.
Sign in to keep reading
2 more chapters are free with a Lably account.
Types
Depending on the definition adopted, "paramilitaries" may include:
Military organizations
- Private military companies, mercenaries, and colonial troops.
- Irregular military, such as auxiliaries, private armies, and militias.
- State-parallel armed groups such as the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces and the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces
Law enforcement agencies
- Semi-militarized law enforcement units within civilian police, such as police tactical units, SWAT, emergency service units, and incident response teams
- Gendarmeries, such as the French National Gendarmerie, Chinese People's Armed Police, Dutch Royal Marechaussee, Egyptian Central Security Forces, European EUROGENDFOR, Turkic TAKM, and Chilean Carabineros de Chile
- Border guards, such as the U.S. Border Patrol, Australian Border Force, Indian Border Security Force, Bangladeshi Border Guard Bangladesh, and Turkish village guards
- Security forces of ambiguous military status, such as internal troops, railroad guard corps, and railway troops
- Branches of government agencies such as intelligence agencies and military intelligence tasked with law enforcement, tactical support, or security operations, such as the Central Intelligence Agency's Special Activities Center and Global Response Staff, or the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Protective Forces
Civil defense
- Lithuanian Riflemen's Union
- Chinese Militia
- SSB
Political parties
- Party militia
- Armed, semi-militarized wings of political parties and similar political organizations, such as the German Schutzstaffel and Italian Blackshirts.
Examples of paramilitary units
More in Politics and economics
United States CongressBicameral legislature of the United StatesSupreme Court of the United StatesHighest court of jurisdiction in the U.S.World Bank GroupGroup making loans to developing countriesRoyal NavyNaval warfare force of the United KingdomPresident of the United StatesHead of state and governmentGovernment of IndiaThe Government of India (Devanagari: भारत सरकार; IAST: Bhārata Sarakāra; legally, the Unio