Paramilitary: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Organization similar to, but not part of, a military}}
{{Short description|Organization similar to, but not part of, a military}}
{{Distinguish|Paratrooper|Private army}}
{{Distinguish|Paratrooper|Private army}}
{{for|the 1993 supplement for the role-playing game ''Paranoia''|Paramilitary (Paranoia){{!}}''Paramilitary (Paranoia)''}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2022}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2022}}


[[File:Nd-3-105 LoF Edmonton 1915.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Legion of Frontiersmen]], Edmonton Command, 1915 – a nationalist paramilitary group not officially affiliated with the [[Canadian Army]]]]
[[File:Nd-3-105 LoF Edmonton 1915.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Legion of Frontiersmen]], Edmonton Command, 1915 – a nationalist paramilitary group not officially affiliated with the [[Canadian Army]]]]


A '''paramilitary''' is a [[military]] that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces.<ref name="Reference-OED-paramilitary">{{cite book |chapter=paramilitary |title=Oxford English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |edition=3rd |orig-year=online edition; original published in June 2005 |date= June 2011 |chapter-url=http://oed.com/search?searchType=dictionary&q=paramilitary |access-date=2011-09-13 |quote= 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. |title-link=Oxford English Dictionary}}</ref>  The [[Oxford English Dictionary]] traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934.<ref>
A '''paramilitary''' is a force or unit that functions and is organized in a manner analogous to a military force, but does not have professional or legitimate status.<ref name="Reference-OED-paramilitary">{{cite book |chapter=paramilitary |title=Oxford English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |edition=3rd |orig-year=online edition; original published in June 2005 |date= June 2011 |chapter-url=http://oed.com/search?searchType=dictionary&q=paramilitary |access-date=2011-09-13 |quote= 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. |title-link=Oxford English Dictionary}}</ref>  The [[Oxford English Dictionary]] traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934.<ref>
{{oed | paramilitary}}
{{oed | paramilitary}}
</ref>
</ref>


== Overview ==
== Overview ==
Though a paramilitary is, by definition, not a [[military]], it is usually equivalent to a [[light infantry]] or [[special forces]] in terms of strength, firepower, and organizational structure.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-15 |title=Wider conflict feared as Sudan's army and rival paramilitary force clash in capital |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/wider-conflict-feared-as-sudans-army-and-rival-paramilitary-force-clash-in-capital |access-date=2023-07-28 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us}}</ref> Paramilitaries use combat-capable kit/equipment (such as [[Internal security vehicle|internal security]]/[[SWAT vehicle]]s), or even actual military equipment<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Böhmelt |first=Tobias |last2=Clayton |first2=Govinda |date=February 2018 |title=Auxiliary Force Structure: Paramilitary Forces and Progovernment Militias |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0010414017699204 |journal=Comparative Political Studies |language=en |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=197–237 |doi=10.1177/0010414017699204 |issn=0010-4140|hdl=10654/38817 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> (such as [[Long gun|long guns]] and [[Armoured personnel carrier|armored personnel carriers]]; usually [[military surplus]] resources), skills (such as [[battlefield medicine]] and [[bomb disposal]]), and tactics (such as [[urban warfare]] and [[close-quarters combat]]) that are compatible with their purpose, often combining them with skills from other relevant fields such as [[law enforcement]], [[coast guard]], or [[search and rescue]]. A paramilitary may fall under the command of a [[military]], train alongside them, or have permission to use their resources, despite not actually being part of them.<ref name=":0" />
Paramilitaries may use combat-capable kit/equipment (such as [[Internal security vehicle|internal security]]/[[SWAT vehicle]]s), or even actual military equipment<ref name="BohmeltClayton2018">{{Cite journal |last=Böhmelt |first=Tobias |last2=Clayton |first2=Govinda |date=February 2018 |title=Auxiliary Force Structure: Paramilitary Forces and Progovernment Militias |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0010414017699204 |journal=Comparative Political Studies |language=en |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=197–237 |doi=10.1177/0010414017699204 |issn=0010-4140|hdl=10654/38817 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> (such as [[Armoured personnel carrier|armored personnel carriers]];{{cn|date=July 2025}} usually [[military surplus]] resources) that are compatible with their purpose, often combining them with skills from other relevant fields such as [[law enforcement]], [[coast guard]], or [[search and rescue]].{{cn|date=July 2025}} A paramilitary may fall under the command of a [[military]], train alongside them, or have permission to use their resources, despite not actually being part of them.<ref name="BohmeltClayton2018" />


== Legality ==
== Legality ==
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== Types ==
== Types ==
[[File:Metsavendade salk Kesk-Eestis kohtumisel Saksa väeosaga.jpg|thumb|A group of the "[[Forest Brothers]]" in central [[Estonia]] meeting with a German unit in 1941.]]
[[File:Metsavendade salk Kesk-Eestis kohtumisel Saksa väeosaga.jpg|thumb|A group of the "[[Forest Brothers]]" in central [[Estonia]] meeting with a German unit in 1941.]]
[[File:The Steel Shirts copying the Nazi salute during its rally in Syria, 1936.jpg|thumb|The Steel Shirts copying the [[Nazi salute]] during its rally in [[Syria]]]]
Depending on the definition adopted, "paramilitaries" may include:
Depending on the definition adopted, "paramilitaries" may include:


=== Military organizations ===
=== Military organizations ===
* The [[Auxiliaries|auxiliary forces]] of a state's military or government, [[military reserve forces]], such as [[national guard]], [[Presidential Guard (disambiguation)|presidential guard]], [[republican guard]], [[state defense force]], [[home guard]], [[civil guard]], [[imperial guard]], and [[royal guard]] forces
* [[Private military contractors]] and [[mercenaries]]
* [[Private military contractors]] and [[mercenaries]]
* [[Irregular military]] forces, such as [[militias]], [[partisan (military)|partisans]], [[resistance movements]], [[freedom fighter|freedom fighters]], [[rebel groups]], [[liberation armies]], [[guerrilla warfare|guerrilla armies]], [[militants]], [[insurgents]], and [[terrorist groups]].
* [[Irregular military]] forces, such as [[militias]], [[partisan (military)|partisans]], [[resistance movements]], [[freedom fighter|freedom fighters]], [[rebel groups]], [[liberation armies]], [[guerrilla warfare|guerrilla armies]], [[militants]], [[insurgents]], and [[terrorist groups]].

Latest revision as of 20:02, 31 October 2025

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File:Nd-3-105 LoF Edmonton 1915.jpg
Legion of Frontiersmen, Edmonton Command, 1915 – a nationalist paramilitary group not officially affiliated with the Canadian Army

A paramilitary is a force or unit that functions and is organized in a manner analogous to a military force, but does not have professional or legitimate status.[1] The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934.[2]

Overview

Paramilitaries may use combat-capable kit/equipment (such as internal security/SWAT vehicles), or even actual military equipment[3] (such as armored personnel carriers;Script error: No such module "Unsubst". usually military surplus resources) that are compatible with their purpose, often combining them with skills from other relevant fields such as law enforcement, coast guard, or search and rescue.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". A paramilitary may fall under the command of a military, train alongside them, or have permission to use their resources, despite not actually being part of them.[3]

Legality

Under the law of war, a state may incorporate a paramilitary organization or armed agency (such as a law enforcement agency or a private volunteer militia) into its combatant armed forces. Some countries' constitutions prohibit paramilitary organizations outside government use.

Types

File:Metsavendade salk Kesk-Eestis kohtumisel Saksa väeosaga.jpg
A group of the "Forest Brothers" in central Estonia meeting with a German unit in 1941.
File:The Steel Shirts copying the Nazi salute during its rally in Syria, 1936.jpg
The Steel Shirts copying the Nazi salute during its rally in Syria

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

Military organizations

Law enforcement

Civil defense

Political

  • Armed, semi-militarized wings of political parties and similar political organizations.

Examples of paramilitary units

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See also

References

Template:Reflist

Further reading

External links

Template:Sister project Template:Sister project

Template:Authority control

  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Template:Oed
  3. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
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