Armed forces

For other uses, see armed forces (disambiguation).

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The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary forces are included in a nation's armed forces. Armed force is the use of armed forces to achieve political objectives.

The study of the use of armed forces is called military science. Broadly speaking, this involves considering offense and defense at three "levels": strategy, operational art, and tactics. All three levels study the application of the use of force in order to achieve a desired objective.

Organization

Main article: Military organization

In most countries the basis of the armed forces is the military, divided into basic Armed services. However, armed forces can include other paramilitary structures. For example, according to the Lithuanian law on organisation of system of national defence and military service (version actual from November 11, 2004), the Lithuanian armed forces in case of war also include border guards, public police service, parts of Lithuanian Riflemen's Union and guerrillas.

Benefits and costs

Map of the military expenditures as a percentage of GDP by country, CIA figures.

Military spending in 2007, in USD, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The obvious benefit to a country in maintaining armed forces is in providing protection from foreign threats and from internal conflict. In recent decades armed forces personnel have also been used as emergency civil support roles in post-disaster situations. On the other hand, they may also harm a society by engaging in counter-productive (or merely unsuccessful) warfare. Expenditure on science and technology to develop weapons and systems sometimes produces side benefits, although some claim that greater benefits could come from targeting the money directly.

See also: Deterrence theory

See also

• Mercenary
• Militaria
• Military
• Military fiat
• Military history
• Military incompetence
• Military intelligence
• Military dictatorship
• Military junta
• Military rule (disambiguation)
• Military Aid to the Civil Power
• Military Aid to the Civil Community
• List of battles
• Staff (military)
• Civil-military relations

Armed forces of the world

• List of militaries by country
• List of militaries that recruit foreigners
• List of countries by military expenditures
• List of countries by number of active troops
• List of countries by size of armed forces
• List of countries without an army
• List of air forces
• List of armies
• List of navies