Paramilitary
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A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces.[1]
The term paramilitary is subjective, depending on what is considered similar to a military force, and what status a force is considered to have. The nature of paramilitary forces therefore varies greatly according to the speaker and the context.
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[edit] Examples of paramilitaries
Depending on context, paramilitaries can include:
- Irregular military forces: militias, guerrillas, insurgents, and so forth
- The auxiliary forces of a state's military
- Private military companies
- Mercenaries
- Some kinds of police forces, e.g. auxiliary police
- Gendarmeries, e.g. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Gendarmerie royale du Canada), Egyptian Central Security Forces and India's Central Reserve Police Force
- Border guards, e.g. India's Border Security Force
- Security forces of ambiguous military status, e.g. Russia's Internal Troops
- Armed units of US national intelligence services such as the Special Activities Division of the CIA or the Hostage Rescue Team of the FBI
- Youth cadet organizations with no wartime role, e.g. India's National Cadet Corps
- The Schutzstaffel (SS), Sturmabteilung (SA), and Hitlerjugend (HJ) of Nazi Germany
[edit] See also
- Category:Paramilitary organizations
- Category:Rebel militia groups
- Weimar paramilitary groups
- Paramilitary forces of India
- Fourth-generation warfare
[edit] References
- ^ "paramilitary". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. June 2005; online version June 2011. http://oed.com/search?searchType=dictionary&q=paramilitary. Retrieved 2011-09-13. "Designating, of, or relating to a force or unit whose function and organization are analogous or ancillary to those of a professional military force, but which is not regarded as having professional or legitimate status."
[edit] External links
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Look up paramilitary in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
