Editing Paramilitary

{{Short description|Organization similar to, but not part of, a military}}
{{Distinguish|Paratrooper|Private army}}
{{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]]]]

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>
{{oed | paramilitary}}
</ref>

== 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" />

== 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 [[List of countries that prohibit paramilitary organizations outside government armed forces|prohibit paramilitary organizations outside government use]].

== 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.]]
Depending on the definition adopted, "paramilitaries" may include:

=== 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]]
* [[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]].

=== Law enforcement ===
* Semi-militarized law enforcement units within civilian police, such as [[Police tactical unit|police tactical units]], [[SWAT]], [[Emergency Service Unit|Emergency Service Units]], and [[Incident response team|incident response teams]]
* [[Gendarmerie]]s, such as the French [[National Gendarmerie]], Chinese [[People's Armed Police]], Dutch [[Royal Marechaussee]], Egyptian [[Central Security Forces]], European [[European Gendarmerie Force|EUROGENDFOR]], Turkic [[TAKM]], and Chilean [[Carabineros de Chile]]
* [[Border guard|Border guards]], such as the [[Australian Border Force]], Indian [[Border Security Force]], [[Bangladeshis|Bangladeshi]] [[Border Guard Bangladesh]], and Turkish [[Village guard system|village guards]]
* [[Security forces]] of ambiguous military status, such as [[Internal Troops|internal troops]], [[Railroad Guards (disambiguation)|railroad guard corps]], and [[railway troops]]
* Branches of [[Government agency|government agencies]] such as [[intelligence agency|intelligence agencies]] tasked with law enforcement, tactical support, or security operations, such as the [[Central Intelligence Agency]]'s [[Special Activities Center]] and [[Counterterrorism Mission Center|Global Response Staff]], or the [[United States Department of Energy|U.S. Department of Energy]]'s [[Federal Protective Forces]]

=== Civil defense ===
* [[Lithuanian Riflemen's Union]]
* [[Militia (China)|Chinese Militia]]
* [[SSB (militia)|SSB]]

=== Political ===
* Armed, semi-militarized wings of [[political party|political parties]] and similar political organizations.

== Examples of paramilitary units ==
{{Main list|List of paramilitary organizations|List of defunct paramilitary organizations}}
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== See also ==
* [[:Category:Rebel militia groups]]
* [[Militia]]
* [[International Association of Gendarmeries and Police Forces with Military Status]]
* [[List of Serbian paramilitary formations]]
* [[Militarization of police]]
* [[Police tactical unit]]
* [[Fourth-generation warfare]]
* [[Violent non-state actor]]
* [[Military urbanism]]
* [[Private army]]
* [[Fascist paramilitary]]
* [[Guerrilla warfare]]
* [[List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel]]
* [[List of paramilitary organizations]]
* [[Bangladesh Ansar]]
* [[Border Security Force]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Golkar, Saeid. (2012) [http://afs.sagepub.com/content/38/4/625.abstract Paramilitarization of the Economy: the Case of Iran's Basij Militia], [[Armed Forces & Society]], Vol. 38, No. 4
* Golkar, Saeid. (2012). Organization of the Oppressed or Organization for Oppressing: Analysing the Role of the Basij Militia of Iran. Politics, Religion & Ideology, Dec., 37–41. doi:10.1080/21567689.2012.725661
* {{cite book |last1=Üngör |first1=Uğur Ümit |author-link=Uğur Ümit Üngör |title=Paramilitarism: Mass Violence in the Shadow of the State |date=2020 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-882524-1 |language=en}}

== External links ==
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Commons category|Paramilitary organizations}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Paramilitary| ]]
[[Category:Civil–military relations]]
[[Category:Paramilitary organizations| ]]
[[Category:Military terminology]]
[[Category:Private security industry]]