Paramilitary

A paramilitary organization is a group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion.

Paramilitary Police

In military terms, paramilitary security forces are typically light infantry. Effectively led, they can stand in defense, especially in urban or unfenced border areas, but are less capable of offensive action or sustained combat operations due to a lack of heavy weapons, professional military training, and effective logistics support.

Related Topics:
Military - Light infantry - Urban - Border - Combat - Operations - Logistics

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Examples of this kind of paramilitary force include the People's Armed Police in the People's Republic of China which was split off from the People's Liberation Army in 1983 precisely to remove paramilitary duties from the PLA, and the East German Kampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse. Over a million strong, India's Border Security Force is the largest and one of the most formidable paramilitary units in the world. One may also consider that US police Special Weapons And Tactics ("SWAT") units, or similar units in other countries, are paramilitary.

Related Topics:
People's Armed Police - People's Republic of China - People's Liberation Army - East German - Kampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse - India - Border Security Force - Special Weapons And Tactics

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Many of the world's military forces, particularly in developing countries, could be considered paramilitary police; they are oriented towards controlling their own country's population rather than toward the role of a professional military.

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Certain countries, following the French model, have a Gendarmerie – a national police force with military status, responsible for law enforcement in rural areas and military installations. In the case of countries with a rule of law, such forces, however, are not referred to as paramilitary except in polemical fashion. The largest part of the gendarmeries is made of "normal" officers who perform duties in a way similar to what a Sheriff would do in the United States.

Related Topics:
French - Gendarmerie - Sheriff - United States

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