Paramilitary



A paramilitary is a militarised 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. Under the Law of Armed Conflict, a state may incorporate a paramilitary organization or armed agency (charged with police functions) into its armed forces. The other parties to a conflict have to be notified thereof.

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.

Types
Depending on context, "paramilitaries" may include:


 * Irregular military forces: militias, guerrillas, insurgents, and so forth
 * The auxiliary forces of a state's military
 * 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. Russia's Border Guard Service
 * Security forces of ambiguous military status, e.g. Russia's Internal Troops
 * Militarized police forces, e.g. Law enforcement officers of the United States

In the United Kingdom, the term is often restricted to armed groups involved in the Northern Ireland Troubles, such as the Ulster Volunteer Force or the Provisional Irish Republican Army.

Examples

 * The Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
 * The National Security Guards of India
 * The GSG-9 of Germany
 * The Spetsnaz of Russia
 * The Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza of Italy
 * The Basij of Iran
 * The Fedayeen Saddam of Ba'athist Iraq
 * The Rangers of Pakistan
 * The Patriotic Guards of Communist Romania
 * The Waffen, Schutzstaffel (SS), Sturmabteilung (SA) and Hitler Youth (HJ) (From 1940 onwards) of Nazi Germany
 * The Village Guards of Turkey
 * The SWAT units of some Law Enforcement agencies in the United States
 * State Defense Forces of individual US States
 * The Red Guards of Maoist China
 * The Mobile Brigade (Indonesia) of Indonesia
 * The Special Task Force of Sri Lanka
 * The Irish National Liberation Army of Ireland
 * The Irish Republican Army of Ireland