Regular army

A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official Armed Forces) --contrasting with irregular forces so as volunteeer militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually consists on:

• a standing army, the permanent force of the regular army that is maintained under arms during peacetime.
• a military reserve force that can be mobilized when needed to expand the effectives of the regular army by complementing the standing army.

A regular army may be:

• a conscript army, including professionals, volunteers and also conscripts (presence of enforced conscription, including recruits for the standing army and also a compulsory reserve).
• a professional army, with no conscripts (absence of compulsory service, and presence of a voluntary reserve). It is not exactly the same as a standing army, as there exist standing armies both in the conscript and the professional models.

Countries that use the term regular army include:

• Australian Army
• British Army
• Canadian Forces, specifically "Regular Force"
• Egyptian army
• Indian Army
• Nepalese Army
• New Zealand Army
• Singapore Army
• Sri Lanka Army
• United States Army
• Chinese Army
• Pakistan Army 12th Regular Regiment

Bibliography

• Woodward, David. Armies of the world, 1854-1914. London: Sidgwick & Jackson, cop. 1978. ISBN 0-283-98243-8

See also

• Military reserve force
• Standing army
• Irregulars