Paramilitary

A **paramilitary** is a semi-militarized force whose organizational structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not formally part of a country's armed forces.

## Legality

Under the law of war, a state may incorporate a paramilitary organization or armed agency (such as a national police, a private volunteer militia) into its combatant armed forces. The other parties to a conflict have to be notified thereof.

Though a paramilitary is not a military force, it is usually equivalent to a military's light infantry force in terms of intensity, firepower, and organizational structure. A paramilitary may also commonly fall under the command of a military, even despite not being part of the military or play an assisting role for the military in times of war. Paramilitary forces can also include private military company missions.

## Types

Depending on the definition adopted, "paramilitaries" may include:

* Irregular military forces: militias, guerrillas, insurgents, terrorists, etc.
* The auxiliary forces of a state's military: national guard, presidential guard, republican guard, state defense force, home guard, royal guard, and imperial guard
* Some police forces or auxiliary police: Indonesia's Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob), Detachment 88, India's Assam Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, etc.
* Semi-militarized law enforcement personnel within normal police forces, such as SWAT teams in the United States and a number of other countries
* Gendarmeries, such as Egyptian Central Security Forces and Russia's National Guard
* Border guards, such as Russia's Border Guard Service, Australian Border Force, and India's Border Security Force
* The United States' Federal Protective Forces
* Security forces of ambiguous military status: internal troops, railroad guards, or railway troops
* Volunteer Defence Corps, such as Volunteer Defence Corps in Thailand, Volunteer Defence Corps in Australia, Shanghai Volunteer Corps, and Royal Hong Kong Regiment
* The fire departments of many countries and locales, although unarmed, are often organized in a manner similar to military or police forces.

### Examples

* The Action Division of the French secret service DGSE
* The RENEA of Albania
* The Australian Border Force
* The Iraqi Volunteer Forces
* The Basij of Iran
* The Blackshirts of Fascist Italy
* The Bangladesh National Cadet Corps
* The Border Guard of West Germany, during Cold War
* The Border Troops of East Germany
* The Central Intelligence Agency Special Activities Division in the United States
* The Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit of the Philippines
* The Combat Groups of the Working Class of the Socialist Unity Party in East Germany
* The Department of Homeland Security-related agencies in the United States
* The Emergency Response Team (RCMP) of Canada
* The Fedayeen Saddam of Ba'athist Iraq
* The Kuva-yi Milliye, Jandarma and Village Guards of Turkey
* The Kaitseliit in Estonia
* The Legião Portuguesa (Estado Novo) of Portugal
* The Mobile Brigade of Indonesia
* The National Task Force of Sweden
* The ORMO of communist Poland
* The Patriotic Guards of the Socialist Republic of Romania
* The People's Armed Police of People's Republic of China
* The People´s Militias of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
* The People´s Police Standby Troops of East Germany
* The Palestinian Islamic Jihad
* The Pasukan Gerakan Am as Paramilitary Force of Royal Malaysian Police
* The Rangers of Pakistan
* The Special Assault Team of Japan
* The Special Task Force of Sri Lanka
* The Spetsnaz of Russia
* The State Defense Forces of individual states in the United States
* The SWAT units of some law enforcement agencies in the United States
* The SA, SS, Waffen-SS and Hitler Youth of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany
* The Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
* The Dignity Battalions of Panama
* The Border Security Force of India
* The Armed Police Force of Nepal
* The Indo-Tibetan Border Police
* The Tonton Macoute of Haiti in 1959
* The Zemessardze in Latvia
* The ZOMO of communist Poland
* The 69 Komando PGK as Multi Spectrum Special Force of Royal Malaysian Police