Militia A militia generally refers to an army or other fighting force that is composed of non - professional fighters ; citizens of a nation or subjects of a state or government that can be called upon to enter a combat situation , as opposed to a professional force of regular , full - time soldiers . Historically , members of a fighting nobility class ( e . g . , knight s or the samurai ) could be considered an early form of militia . This is because their duties often extended beyond the realm of combat , into civic roles . However , beginning as early as the late - 20th century , some militias ( particularly officially recognized and sanctioned militas of a government ) may be considered professional forces , while still maintaining their status as a " part - time " or " on - call " organization . For instance , the members of the various Army and Air National Guard units of the United States are considered professional Soldiers and Airmen , respectively . Said Soldiers and Airmen are trained to , and maintain , the exact same standards as their " full - time " ( active duty ) counterparts . Therefore , these professional militia men and women of the National Guard of the United States are colloquially know as " Citizen - Soldiers " or " Citizen - Airmen " . Some of the ways the term " militia " is used include : Etymology . " Militia " derives from Latin roots : The word " militia " dates back to at least 1590 when it was recorded in a book by Sir John Smythe , " Certain Discourses Military " with the meanings : a military force ; a body of soldiers and military affairs ; a body of military discipline Algeria . During the civil war , the Algerian state had provided the rural citizens with weapons and munitions , to defend themselves and their families from the Islamist militants of the GIA ( Armed Islamic Group of Algeria ) . Militantism started shortly after the coup against the democratically elected Islamic Salvation Front in 1991 . Argentina . Buenos Aires , which was by then the capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata , was attacked during the British invasions of the Río de la Plata . As the regular military forces were not enough against the British armies , Santiago de Liniers drafted all the male population capable to bear arms into the military . This included the criollo peoples , who were down in the social hierarchy , and even slaves . With these reinforcements , the British armies were defeated twice . The militias became a strong factor in the politics of the city afterwards , as a venue where the criollos could manifest their political ambitions . They were a key element in the success of the May Revolution , which deposed the Spanish viceroy and began the Argentine War of Independence . A decree by Mariano Moreno derogated the system of promotions by castas , allowing instead the promotions by military merits . The Argentine Civil War was waged by militias again , as both Federals and Unitarians drafted common people into their ranks for the ongoing conflicts . Those irregular armies were organized at provincial level , and assembled as leagues depending on political pacts . This organization began to decline by the 1870s , mainly by the establishment of the modern Argentine Army , drafted for the Paraguayan War by President Bartolome Mitre . Provincial militias were outlawed and decimated by the new Army through the presidential terms of Mitre , Sarmiento , Avellaneda and Roca . Armenia . Armenian militia , or " fedayi " played a major role in the independence of various Armenian states , including Western Armenia , the First Republic of Armenia , and the currently de facto independent Nagorno - Karabakh Republic . Armenian militia also played a role in the Georgia - Abkhazia War of 1992 - 1993 . Australia . In the Colony of New South Wales Governor Lachlan Macquarie proposed a Colonial Militia but the idea was rejected . Governor Ralph Darling felt a mounted police force was more efficient than a militia . A military volunteer movement attracted wide interest during the Crimean War . Following Federation the various militia forces of the Commonwealth of Australia became the Citizen Military Force . Austria . After World War I , multiple militias formed as soldier s returned home to their villages , only to find many of them occupied by Slovene and Yugoslav forces , especially in the southern province of Carinthia . During the First Republic , increasing radicalization of politics led to certain militias associating with certain political parties . The Heimwehr ( German : " Home Defense " ) became affiliated with the Christian Social Party and the Republikanischer Schutzbund ( German : " Republican Defense League " ) became affiliated with the Social Democratic Workers ' Party of Austria . Violence increasingly escalated , breaking out during the July Revolt of 1927 and finally the Austrian Civil War , when the Schutzbund was defeated by the Heimwehr , police , and federal army . " See also : Republikanischer Schutzbund , Heimwehr " Canada . In Canada the title " Militia " historically referred to the land component of the armed forces , both regular ( full - time ) and reserve . From 1760s to the 1860s , local militia units were used to support British Army units stationed in Canada . From 1867 to 1880s , the departure of British forces in Canada meant militia units were the only army available on Canadian soil . In 1940 the Permanent Active Militia and Non - Permanent Active Militia were renamed to become the Canadian Army . The term Militia continued from then to the present day to refer to the part - time army reserve component of the Canadian Forces . Currently , Militia troops usually train one night a week and every other weekend of the month , except in the summer . Summertime training may consist of courses , individual call - outs , or concentrations ( unit and formation training of one to two weeks ' duration ) . In addition , Primary Reserve members are increasingly used for voluntary service as augmentation to the regular force overseas — usually NATO or United Nations missions . Most Canadian cities have one or more militia units . Since the mid - 1990s , the term Militia has all but vanished in favour of the term Primary Reserve . China . China ' s current militia is a mass force engaged in daily production under the leadership of the Communist Party of China ( CCP ) , forms part of the Chinese armed forces . Under the command of the military organs , it undertakes such jobs as war preparation services , security and defense operation tasks and assistance in maintaining social order and public security . Historically militias of varying levels of ability have existed in China , organised on the village and clan level , especially during periods of instability and in areas subject to pirate and bandit attack . When the British attempted to take control of the New Territories in 1898 they were resisted by the local militias which had been formed for mutual defence against pirate raids . Although ultimately defeated the strength of resistance convinced the British to make concessions to the indigenous inhabitants allowing them to preserve inheritance , property and marriage rights and customs throughout most of the period of the British rule . Cuba . Cuba has three militia organizations : The Territorial Troops Militia " Milicias de Tropas Territoriales " of about one million people ( half women ) , the Youth Labor Army " Ejército Juvenil del Trabajo " devoted to agricultural production , and a naval militia . Formerly , there existed the National Revolutionary Militias " Milicias Nacionales Revolucionarias " . Denmark . The Danish Militia played a major role in repelling the Swedish attackers during The assault on Copenhagen in 1659 . Estonia . The Omakaitse ( Home Guard ) was an organisation formed by the local population of Estonia on the basis of the Estonian Defence League and the forest brothers resistance movement active in the Eastern Front , 3 July 1941 – 17 September 1944 . It was unique in the context of the war as in Latvia , which otherwise shared a common fate with Estonia , there was no organisation of this kind . France . The first notable militia in French history was the resistance of the Gauls to invasion by the Romans until they were defeated by Julius Caesar . The next notable militia was organized and led by Joan of Arc until her capture and execution in 1431 . It settled the succession to the French crown and laid the basis for the formation of the modern nation of France . During the French Revolution the term levée en masse came into use . During the Franco - Prussian War the Parisian National Guard , which was founded during the time of the American Revolution , engaged the Prussian Army and later rebelled against the Versailles Army under Marshal McMahon . During World War II under German occupation , militia usually called the French Resistance emerged to conduct a guerrilla war of attrition against German forces and prepare the way for the D - Day Allied Invasion of France . The Resistance militia were opposed by the collaborationist French Militia - the paramilitary police force of the German puppet state of Vichy . Germany . The earliest reports of Germanic militia was the system of hundred s which was described in 98 A . D . by Tacitus as the " centeni . " It was similar to the Anglo - Saxon fyrd . The name Freikorps ( German for " Free Corps " ) was originally applied to voluntary armies . The first freikorps were recruited by Frederick II of Prussia during the Seven Years ' War . The freikorps were regarded as unreliable by regular armies , so that they were mainly used as sentries and for minor duties . During the Napoleonic occupation , organizations such as the Lutzow Freikorps fought against the occupiers and later joined the allied forces as regular soldiers . However , after 1918 , the term was used for nationalist paramilitary organizations that sprang up around Germany as soldiers returned in defeat from World War I . They were one of the many Weimar paramilitary groups active during that time . They received considerable support from Gustav Noske , the German Defence Minister who used them to crush the Spartakist League with enormous violence , including the murders of Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg on January 15 , 1919 . They were also used to put down the Bavarian Soviet Republic in 1919 . They were officially " disbanded " in 1920 , resulting in the ill - fated Kapp Putsch in March 1920 . The " Einwohnerwehr " , active in Germany from 1919 to 1921 as a paramilitary citizens ' militia consisting of hundreds of thousands of mostly former servicemen . Formed by the Prussian Ministry of the Interior on April 15 , 1919 , for the purpose to allow citizens to protect themselves from looters , armed gangs , and revolutionaries . The " Einwohnerwehr " was under the command of the local " Reichswehr " regiments and which supplied its guns . In 1921 , the Berlin government dissolved the " Einwohnerwehr " . Many of its members went on to join the Nazi Party . In 1944 - 45 , as World War II was coming to a close in Europe the German high command deployed increasing numbers of Volkssturm units to combat duties . These regiments were composed of men and women too old or otherwise unfit for service in the Wehrmacht ( German Regular Army ) . Their primary role was assisting the army with fortification duties and digging anti - tank ditches , but would as the shortage of manpower became severe be used as front line infantry , most often in urban settings . Due to the physical state of members , almost non - existent training and shortage of weapons , there was not much the Volkssturm could do except act like shields for regular army units . However , armed with Panzerfaust s and deeply entrenched a unit of Volkssturm could cause serious trouble for Soviet armor . India . Salwa Judum ( meaning " Peace March " or " Purification Hunt " in Gondi language ) is a militia active in the Chhattisgarh state of India . Iran . The Basij militia founded by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in November 1979 is composed of 10 , 000 regular soldiers , and ultimately draws from about 11 million members , and is subordinate to their Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution in Iran . Iraq . Several armed militia groups are presently active in Iraq . The Mehdi Army is a sectarian armed force created by the Iraqi Shi ' a cleric Muqtada al - Sadr in June 2003 . The Badr Organization is based in and around Karbala . The Anbar Salvation Council is a Sunni armed group in Iraq formed by members of baathist and nationalist elements to fight Al - Qaeda in Iraq . The Kurdish militia , the peshmerga , is estimated to number upwards of 50 , 000 . The Awakening Councils or " concerned citizens " are emerging to defend their neighborhoods against insurgents of every kind , functioning as a form of vigilante " militia " similar to the model of militia in the U . S . . Israel . The earliest historical record of militia is found in the Old Testament and particularly the Book of Judges . In modern times there is a universal military service requirement for Israeli citizens that leaves most of them in the reserves of the Israel Defense Forces , authorized to carry and keep in their possession weapons during the periods when they are called back to the army . Latvia . See Aizsargi for years 1918 till 1939 . See Latvian national partisans for years 1944 till 1956 . And Latvian National Guard for years 1991 till present . Mexico . The Free - Colored Militia , interracial militias of New Spain , Colonial Mexico . New Zealand . From the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 until 1844 small detachments of British Imperial troops based in New Zealand were the only military . This changed as a result of the Flagstaff War , with the colonial government passing a Militia Act on 25 March 1845 . Militia units were formed in Auckland , Wellington , New Plymouth , and Nelson . Service in the militia was compulsory . Many localized militia saw service , together with British Imperial troops , during the New Zealand land wars . The militia were disbanded and reformed as the Territorial Army in 1911 . Pakistan . Militias have played an important role supporting Pakistan ' s Military since Indo - Pakistani War of 1947 when Pakistan , with the support of militias , was able to gain control of the region which is now known as Azad Kashmir . Pakistan found the militias volunteering to participate in Indo - Pakistani war of 1965 and Indo - Pakistani war of 1971 quite useful as well . Currently Pakistani citizens forming militias from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province are participating in the ' war on terror ' . Russia and the Soviet Union . Neither the Russian Empire , nor the Soviet Union ever had an organised force that could be equated to a militia . Instead a form of organisation that predated the Russian state was used during national emergencies called Narodnoe Opolcheniye ( People ' s Regimentation ) . More comparable to the English Fyrd , it was a popular voluntary joining of the local полк polk , or a regiment , though it had no regular established strength or officers , these usually elected from prominent local citizens . Although these spontaneously created popular forces had participated in several major wars of the Russian Empire , including in combat , they were not obligated to serve for more than one year , and notably departed for home during the 1813 campaign in Germany . On only one occasion , during the military history of the Soviet Union , the Narodnoe Opolcheniye was incorporated into the regular forces of the Red Army , notably in Leningrad and Moscow . The term Militsiya in Russia and former Communist Bloc nations was specifically used to refer to the civilian police force , and should not be confused with the conventional western definition of militia . In some of these states militia was renamed back to police ( Bulgaria , Poland , Georgia ) while in the other states it remains ( Ukraine , Belarus ) . In Russia it was renamed to Police ( in Russian : Полиция , " Politsiya " ) in March 2011 . Sri Lanka . The first militias formed in Sri Lanka were by Lankan Kings , who raised militia armies for their military campaigns both within and out side the island . This was due to the reason that the Kings never maintained a standing army instead had a Royal Guard during peace time and formed a militia in wartime . When the Portuguese who were the first colonial power to dominate the island raised local militias under the command of local leaders known as Mudaliyars . These militias took part in the many Portuguese campaigns against the Lankan Kings . The Dutch continued to employ these militias but due to their unreliability tended to favor employing Swiss and Malay mercenaries in their campaigns in the island . The British Empire then ousted the Dutch from the coastal areas of the country , and sought to conquer the independent Kandyan Kingdom . In 1802 , the British became the first foreign power to raise a regular unit of Sinhalese with British officers , which was named the 2nd Ceylon Regiment , also known as the Sepoy Corps . It fought alongside British troops in the Kandyan wars . After the Matale Rebellion led by Puran Appu in 1848 , in which a number of Sinhalese recruits defected to the side of the rebels , the recruitment of Sinhalese to the British forces was temporarily halted and the Ceylon Regiments disbanded . In 1861 the Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers were raised as a militia , but soon became a military reserve force . This became the Ceylon Defence Force in 1910 and consisted of militia units . These were the Colombo Town Guard and the Town Guard Artillery formed during the two world wars . With the escalation of the Sri Lankan Civil War , local villagers under threat of attack were formed into localized militia to protect their families and homes . According to the Sri Lankan Military these militias were formed after " massacres done by the LTTE " and in the early 1990s they were reformed as the Sri Lankan Home Guard . In 2007 the Home Guard became the Sri Lanka Civil Security Force . In 2008 , the government called for the formation of nearly 15 , 000 civil defence committees at the village level for additional protection . In 2004 , the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam claimed have establish a voluntary " Tamil Eelam auxiliary force " . According to the LTTE ' s then head of police , the force was to be assigned to tasks such as rehabilitation , construction , forest conservation and agriculture , but would also be used to battle the Sri Lankan military if the need arose . In early 2009 it ceased to exist with the military defeat of the LTTE at the hands of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces . Sudan . The Janjaweed militia consists of armed Arab Muslims fighting for the government in Khartoum against non - Arab Muslim " rebels " . They are active in the Darfur region of western Sudan and also in eastern Chad . According to Human Rights Watch these partisans are responsible for abuses including war crimes , crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing . Sweden . See Swedish Home Guard Switzerland . One of the most famous and ancient militias is the Swiss Armed Forces . Switzerland long maintained , proportionally , the second largest military force in the world , with about half the proportional amount of reserve forces of the Israeli Defense Forces , a militia of some 33 % of the total population . Article 58 . 1 of the April 18 , 1999 , Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation ( official , French version ) provides that " Switzerland has an army . It is primarily organised according to the principle of a militia . " However , under the country ' s militia system , professional soldiers constitute about 5 percent of military personnel . In 1995 , the number of soldiers was reduced to 400 , 000 ( including reservists , amounting to some 5 . 6 % of the population ) and again in 2004 , to 200 , 000 ( including 80 , 000 reservists , or 2 . 5 % of the population ) . However , the Swiss Militia continues to consist of most of the adult male population ( with voluntary participation by women ) required to keep an assault rifle at home and to periodically engage in combat and marksmanship training . The militia clauses of the Swiss Federal Constitution are contained in Art . 59 , where it is referred to as " military service " ( ; ; ; ) . Texas . The most important previous activity of the Texas Militia was the Texas Revolution in 1836 . Texans declared independence from Mexico while they were defeated during the Battle of the Alamo in March 1836 . On April 21 , 1836 , led by Sam Houston , the Militia attacked the Mexican Army in the early morning as they camped at the Battle of San Jacinto , near the present city of Houston . Following the war , some militia units reorganized into what was later to be known as the Texas Rangers , which was a private , volunteer effort for several years before becoming an official organization . After Texas joined the Union of the United States in 1845 , Texas militia units participated in the Mexican - American War . In 1861 Texas joined the other Confederate States in seceding from the Union , and Texas militias played a role in the American Civil War , until it ended in 1865 . Texas militiamen joined Theodore Roosevelt ' s Rough Riders , a volunteer militia , and fought with him during the Spanish - American War in 1898 . Some of the training of the Rough Riders took place in San Pedro Park , in the north central part of San Antonio , near the present site of San Antonio College . When a muster of the Militia proposed to train there on April 19 , 1994 , they were threatened with arrest , even though the charter of San Pedro Park forbids exclusion of activities of that kind . This threat led to a change of the meeting site to Highway 151 . Note that like many other American States , Texas maintains a recognized State Militia . See the Wikipedia entry for the Texas State Guard . Purposes : . . . to execute the Laws of the Union , suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions ; — U . S . Constitution , Art . I , Sec . 8 , Clause 16 . United Kingdom . Origins . The obligation to serve in the militia in England derives from a common law tradition , and dates back to Anglo - Saxon times . The tradition was that all able - bodied males were liable to be called out to serve in one of two organisations . These were the posse comitatus , an " ad hoc " assembly called together by a law officer to apprehend lawbreakers , and the fyrd , a military body intended to preserve internal order or defend the locality against an invader . The latter developed into the militia , and was usually embodied by a royal warrant . Service in each organisation involved different levels of preparedness . Sixteenth and seventeenth centuries . With the decay of the feudal system and the military revolution of the sixteenth century , the militia began to become an important institution in English life . It was organized on the basis of the shire county , and was one of the responsibilities of the Lord Lieutenant , a royal official ( usually a trusted nobleman ) . Each of the county hundreds was likewise the responsibility of a Deputy Lieutenant , who relayed orders to the justices of the peace or magistrates . Every parish furnished a quota of eligible men , whose names were recorded on muster rolls . Likewise , each household was assessed for the purpose of finding weapons , armour , horses , or their financial equivalent , according to their status . The militia was supposed to be mustered for training purposes from time to time , but this was rarely done . The militia regiments were consequently ill - prepared for an emergency , and could not be relied upon to serve outside their own counties . This state of affairs concerned many people . Consequently , an elite force was created , composed of members of the militia who were prepared to meet regularly for military training and exercise . These were formed into trained band regiments , particularly in the City of London , where the Artillery Garden was used as a training ground . The trained bands performed an important role in the English Civil War on the side of parliament , in marching to raise the siege of Gloucester ( 5 September 1643 ) . Except for the London trained bands , both sides in the Civil War made little use of the militia , preferring to recruit their armies by other means . Militia in the British Empire . As successful English settlement of North America began to take place in 1607 in the face of the hostile intentions of the powerful Spanish , and of the native populations , it became immediately necessary to raise militia amongst the settlers . The militia in Jamestown saw constant action against the Powhatan Federation and other native polities . In the Virginia Company ' s other outpost , Bermuda , fortification began immediately in 1612 . A Spanish attack in 1614 was repulsed by two shots fired from the incomplete Castle Islands Fortifications manned by Bermudian Militiamen . In the Nineteenth century , " Fortress Bermuda " would become Britain ' s " Gibraltar of the West " , heavily fortified by a Regular Army garrison to protect the Royal Navy ' s headquarters and dockyard in the Western Atlantic . In the 17th Century , however , Bermuda ' s defence was left entirely in the hands of the Militia . In addition to requiring all male civilians to train and serve in the militia of their Parish , the Bermudian Militia included a standing body of trained artillerymen to garrison the numerous fortifications which ringed " New London " ( St . George ' s ) . This standing body was created by recruiting volunteers , and by sentencing criminals to serve as punishment . The Bermudian militiamen were called out on numerous occasions of war , and , on one notable occasion , to quell rioting privateers . The 1707 Acts of Union made Bermudian and other English militiamen " British " . Political issues . Up until the Glorious Revolution in 1688 , the Crown and Parliament were in strong disagreement . The English Civil War left a rather unusual military legacy . Both Whigs and Tories distrusted the creation of a large standing army not under civilian control . The former feared that it would be used as an instrument of royal tyranny . The latter had memories of the New Model Army and the anti - monarchical social and political revolution that it brought about . Consequently , both preferred a small standing army under civilian control for defensive deterrence and to prosecute foreign wars , a large navy as the first line of national defence , and a militia composed of their neighbours as additional defence and to preserve domestic order . Consequently , the English Bill of Rights ( 1689 ) declared , amongst other things : " that the raising or keeping a standing army within the kingdom in time of peace , unless it be with consent of Parliament , is against law . . . " and " that the subjects which are Protestants may have arms for their defense suitable to their conditions and as allowed by law . " This implies that they are fitted to serve in the militia , which was intended to serve as a counterweight to the standing army and preserve civil liberties against the use of the army by a tyrannical monarch or government . The Crown still ( in the British constitution ) controls the use of the army . This ensures that officers and enlisted men swear an oath to a politically neutral head of state , and not to a politician . While the funding of the standing army subsists on annual financial votes by parliament , the Mutiny Act is also renewed on an annual basis by parliament . If it lapses , the legal basis for enforcing discipline disappears , and soldiers lose their legal indemnity for acts committed under orders . With the creation of the British Empire , militias were also raised in the colonies , where little support could be provided by regular forces . Overseas militias were first raised in Jamestown , Virginia , and in Bermuda , where the Bermuda Militia followed a similar trajectory over the next two centuries to that in Britain . Eighteenth century and the Acts of Union . In 1707 , the Acts of Union united the Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland . The Scottish navy was incorporated into the Royal Navy . The Scottish military ( as opposed to naval ) forces merged with the English , with pre - existing regular Scottish regiments maintaining their identities , though command of the new British Army was from England . How this affected militias either side of the border is unclear . British Militia . The Militia Act of 1757 created a more professional force . Better records were kept , and the men were selected by ballot to serve for longer periods . Proper uniforms and better weapons were provided , and the force was ' embodied ' from time to time for training sessions . The militia was widely embodied at various times during the French and Napoleonic Wars . It served at several vulnerable locations , and was particularly stationed on the South Coast and in Ireland . A number of camps were held at Brighton , where the militia regiments were reviewed by the Prince Regent . ( This is the origin of the song " Brighton Camp " . ) The militia could not be compelled to serve overseas , but it was seen as a training reserve for the army , as bounties were offered to men who opted to ' exchange ' from the militia to the regular army . Irish militia . The Parliament of Ireland passed an act in 1715 raising regiments of militia in each county and county corporate . Membership was restricted to Protestants between the ages of 16 and 60 . In 1793 , during the Napoleonic Wars , the Irish militia were reorganized to form thirty - seven county and city regiments . While officers of the reorganized force were Protestant , membership of the other ranks was now made available to members of all denominations . Scottish militia . In the late Seventeenth century came calls for the resurrection of militia in Scotland that had the understated aim of protecting the rights of Scots from English oppression . The 1757 Militia Act did not apply in Scotland . The old traditional system continued , so that militia regiments only existed in some places . This was resented by some and the Militia Club , soon to become the Poker Club , was formed to promote the raising of a Scottish militia . This and several other Edinburgh clubs became the crucible of the Scottish Enlightenment . The Militia Act of 1797 empowered Scottish Lord Lieutenants to raise and command militia regiments in each of the " Counties , Stewartries , Cities , and Places " under their jurisdiction . Nineteenth century . Although muster rolls were prepared as late as 1820 , the element of compulsion was abandoned , and the militia was transformed into a volunteer force . It was intended to be seen as an alternative to the army . Men would volunteer and undertake basic training for several months at an army depot . Thereafter , they would return to civilian life , but report for regular periods of military training ( usually on the weapons ranges ) and an annual two - week training camp . In return , they would receive military pay and a financial retainer , a useful addition to their civilian wage . Of course , many saw the annual camp as the equivalent of a paid holiday . The militia thus appealed to agricultural labourers , colliers and the like , men in casual occupations , who could leave their civilian job and pick it up again . Until 1861 the militia were an entirely infantry force , but in that year a number of county regiments were converted to artillery . In 1877 the militia of Anglesey and Monmouthshire were converted to engineers . Under the reforms introduced by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers in 1881 , the remaining militia infantry regiments were redesignated as numbered battalions of regiments of the line , ranking after the two regular battalions . Typically , an English , Welsh or Scottish regiment would have two militia battalions ( the 3rd and 4th ) and Irish regiments three ( numbered 3rd - 5th ) . The militia must not be confused with the volunteer units created in a wave of enthusiasm in the second half of the nineteenth century . In contrast with the Volunteer Force , and the similar Yeomanry Cavalry , they were considered rather plebeian . The Special Reserve . The militia was transformed into the Special Reserve by the military reforms of Haldane in the reforming post 1906 Liberal government . In 1908 the militia infantry battalions were redesignated as " reserve " and a number were amalgamated or disbanded . Numbered Territorial Force battalions , ranking after the Special Reserve , were formed from the volunteer units at the same time . Altogether , 101 infantry battalions , 33 artillery regiments and two engineer regiments of special reservists were formed . Upon mobilisation , the special reserve units would be formed at the depot and continue training while guarding vulnerable points in Britain . The special reserve units remained in Britain throughout the First World War , but their rank and file did not , since the object of the special reserve was to supply drafts of replacements for the overseas units of the regiment . The original militiamen soon disappeared , and the battalions became training units pure and simple . The Special Reserve reverted to its militia designation in 1921 , then to Supplementary Reserve in 1924 , though the units were effectively placed in " suspended animation " until disbanded in 1953 . The Militiamen . The name was briefly revived in 1939 , in the aftermath of the Munich Crisis . Leslie Hore - Belisha , the then Minister of War , wished to introduce a limited form of conscription , an unheard of thing in peacetime . It was thought that calling the conscripts ' militiamen ' would make this more acceptable , as it would render them distinct from the rest of the army . Only single men of a certain age group were conscripted ( they were given a free suit of civilian clothes as well as a uniform ) , and after serving for about a year , would be discharged into the reserve . Although the first intake were called up , the war broke out soon after , and the militiamen lost their identity in the rapidly expanding army . Modern survivals . Three units still maintain their militia designation in the British Army , two in the Territorial Army and one in the Army Cadet Force . These are the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers ( formed in 1539 ) , the Jersey Field Squadron ( The Royal Militia Island of Jersey ) ( formed in 1337 ) , and the Royal Alderney Militia ( created in the 13th century and reformed in 1984 ) . Additionally , the Atholl Highlanders are a ceremonial infantry militia maintained by the Duke of Atholl — they are the only legal private army in Europe . Other British militias . Various other part - time , home defence organisations have been raised during times of crisis or perceived threat , although without the word " militia " in their title . These have included : The Troubles and Irish War of Independence . The various non - state paramilitary groups involved in the 20th century conflicts in Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland , such as the various Irish Republican Army groups and loyalist paramilitaries , could also be described as militias and are occasionally referred to as such . The Ulster Defence Regiment ( UDR ) was a locally raised professional militia instituted by an Act of Parliament in December 1969 which became operational on 1 April 1970 . Created as a non - partisan force to defend Northern Ireland " against armed attack or sabotage " it eventually peaked at at 11 battalions with 7 , 559 men and women . 197 soldiers of the UDR , including four women , were killed as active servicemen with a further 61 killed after leaving the regiment , mostly by the Provisional Irish Republican Army . As a result of defence cuts it was eventually reduced to 7 battalions before being amalgamated with the Royal Irish Rangers in 1992 to form the " Home Service Battalions " of the Royal Irish Regiment . United States . The history of militia in the United States dates from the colonial era , such as in the American Revolutionary War . Based on the British system , colonial militias were drawn from the body of adult male citizens of a community , town , or local region . Because there were usually few British regulars garrisoned in North America , colonial militia served a vital role in local conflicts , particularly in the French and Indian Wars . Before shooting began in the American War of Independence , American revolutionaries took control of the militia system , reinvigorating training and excluding men with Loyalist inclinations . Regulation of the militia was codified by the Second Continental Congress with the Articles of Confederation . The revolutionaries also created a full - time regular army — the Continental Army — but because of manpower shortages the militia provided short - term support to the regulars in the field throughout the war . In colonial era Anglo - American usage , militia service was distinguished from military service in that the latter was normally a commitment for a fixed period of time of at least a year , for a salary , whereas militia was only to meet a threat , or prepare to meet a threat , for periods of time expected to be short . Militia persons were normally expected to provide their own weapons , equipment , or supplies , although they may later be compensated for losses or expenditures . A related concept is the jury , which can be regarded as a specialized form of militia convened to render a verdict in a court proceeding ( known as a petit jury or trial jury ) or to investigate a public matter and render a presentment or indictment ( grand jury ) . With the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and Article 1 Section 8 of the United States Constitution , control of the army and the power to direct the militia of the states was concurrently delegated to the federal Congress . The Militia Clause s gave Congress authority for " organizing , arming , and disciplining " the militia , and " governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States " , with the States retaining authority to appoint officers and to impose the training specified by Congress . Proponents describe a key element in the concept of " militia " was that to be " genuine " it not be a " select militia " , composed of an unrepresentative subset of the population . This was an argument presented in the ratification debates . The first legislation on the subject was The Militia Act of 1792 which provided , in part : During the nineteenth century , each of the states maintained its militia differently , some more than others . Prior to the Civil War , militia units were sometimes used by southern states for slave control . In free states , Republican militias - called " Wide Awakes " - sided with abolitionists in sometimes violent confrontations with Federal authorities . In California , the militia carried out campaigns against bandits and against the Indians at the direction of its Governor between 1850 and 1866 . During Reconstruction after the Civil War , Republican state governments had militias composed almost entirely of freed slaves and populist whites . Their deployment to maintain order in the former Confederate states caused increased resentment among many Southern whites . Nineteenth Century . During the nineteenth century , American militia saw action in the various Indian Wars and the War of 1812 , the American Civil War and the Spanish - American War . Sometimes militia units were found to be unprepared , ill supplied and unwilling . Democratic paramilitary groups . Secret groups like the Ku Klux Klan and Knights of the White Camellia arose quickly in states across the South , reaching a peak in the late 1860s . Even more significant in terms of effect were private militias , paramilitary organizations that formed starting in 1874 , including the White League in Louisiana , which quickly formed chapters in other states ; the Red Shirts in Mississippi in 1875 , and with force in South Carolina and North Carolina ; as well as other " White Line " militias and rifle clubs . In contrast to the KKK , they were open , members were often well known in the communities , and they directed their efforts at political aims : using force , intimidation and violence , including murder , to push out Republican officeholders , break up organizing , and suppress freedmen ' s voting and civil rights . The paramilitary groups were described as " the military arm of the Democratic Party " and were instrumental in helping secure Democratic victories in the South in the elections of 1876 . Twentieth Century . The Militia Act of 1903 divided what had been the militia into what it termed the " organized " militia , created from portions of the former state guards to become state National Guard units , and the " unorganized " militia consisting of all males from ages 17 to 45 , with the exception of certain officials and others , which is codified in . Some states , such as Texas and California , created separate state defense force s for assistance in local emergencies . Congress later established a system of " dual enlistment " for the National Guard , so that anyone who enlisted in the National Guard also enlisted in the U . S . Army . Privately organized citizen militia - related groups blossomed in the mid - 1990s , which collectively became known as the constitutional militia movement . The supporters have not been affiliated with any government organization , although many have been military and law enforcement veteran s . In its original sense , " militia " meant " the state , quality , condition , or activity of being a fighter or warrior . " It can be thought of as " combatant activity " , " the fighter frame of mind " , " the militant mode " , " the soldierly status " , or " the warrior way " . In this latter usage , a militia is a body of private persons who respond to an emergency threat to public safety , usually one that requires an armed response , but which can also include ordinary law enforcement or disaster responses . The act of bringing to bear arms contextually changes the status of the person , from peaceful citizen , to warrior citizen . The militia is the sum total of persons undergoing this change of state . Persons have been said to engage in militia in response to a " call up " by any person aware of the emergent threat requiring the response , and thence to be in " called up " status until the emergency is past . There is no minimum size to militia , and a solitary act of defense , including self - defense , can be thought of as one person calling up himself to defend the community , represented by himself or others , and to enforce the law . See citizen ' s arrest and hue and cry . 21st Century : Federally organized or not . In the 2008 decision of the Supreme Court in District of Columbia v . Heller , the " de jure " definition of " militia " as used in United States jurisprudence was discussed . The court ' s opinion made explicit , in its " obiter dicta " , that the term " militia " , as used in colonial times in this originalist decision , included both the federally organized militia and the citizen - organized militias of the several States : " . . . the ' militia ' in colonial America consisted of a subset of ' the people ' — those who were male , able - bodied , and within a certain age range " ( 7 ) . . . Although the militia consists of all able - bodied men , the federally organized militia may consist of a subset of them " ( 23 ) . Vietnam . Vietnam Civil Defense Force ( Dân quân Tự vệ Việt Nam ) is a part of Vietnam People ' s Army . Vietnam People ' s Militia is under direct command of Local Military Administration . Vietnam Militia has 2 branches : Cored Militia ( Dân quân Tực vệ nòng cốt ) and General Militia ( Dân quân Tự vệ rộng rãi ) . SFR Yugoslavia . Beside the federal Yugoslav People ' s Army , each constituent republic of the former SFR Yugoslavia had its own " Territorial Defense Forces " . The Non - Aligned Yugoslavia was concerned about an eventual aggression from any of the superpowers , especially by the Warsaw Pact after the Prague Spring , so the " Territorial Defense Forces " were formed as an integral part of the total war military doctrine called " Total National Defense " . Those forces corresponded to military reserve force s , paramilitary or militia , the latter , in the military meaning of the term ( like military formation ) . It should not be confused with the Yugoslav Militia - " Milicija " which was a term for a police . See also . General Public militias in Europe Public militias in the United States Private militias in the United States