Paramilitary

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

Paramilitary, like paramedic and paralegal, comes from Greek para ("beside"). Paramilitary means auxiliary military, that is, something not quite military performing military duties. There are political connotations to "paramilitary" which often override the original meaning. Those political connotations, however, are localized and contradictory. There are paramilitary units that are an official legislated arm of the government, anti-government armed units that claim military status, and civilian paramilitary units that are neither, and other groups that are something in between.

Paramilitary groups can serve many different functions. Some are created by governments as paramilitary police (Gendarmerie) or other internal security forces. Some are revolutionary groups using traditional or guerrilla warfare to oppose the government. Others are private militias intended to enforce order without the niceties of the rule of law. Some are commando units created by a state and intended for non-traditional combat missions, operating outside the official military. Other paramilitary groups adopt military organization and aspects of military culture and discipline, but are not intended to fight at all. In some cases a group of military background has evolved into a cultural role (see Atholl Highlanders).

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.

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, the Indian Paramilitary Forces (PMF) is one of the largest and the most formidable paramilitary units in the world. One may also consider that United States SWAT units, or similar units in other countries, are paramilitary.

The Los Angeles Police Department, for example, identifies itself as a paramilitary force. Like many other American police organizations it uses military-style ranks and insignia. This is in contrast with the Metropolitan Police tradition (adopted in numerous Commonwealth of Nations countries) where while insignia tend to be modified but recognisable versions of military insignia, ranks such as Inspector (Lieutenant/Captain), Chief Inspector (Captain/Major) and Superintendent (Major/Lieutenant Colonel) are used. British police to date are not routinely issued firearms (with some exceptions, notably the Civil Nuclear Constabulary.)

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.

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 Gendarmerie is made of "normal" officers who perform duties in a way similar to what a normal police officer, state trooper or deputy sheriff would do in the United States.

Some paramiliary police forces include:

Gendarmerie Nationale - France
Carabinieri - Italy
Guardia Civil - Spain
Bundesgrenzschutz - Germany
Guarda Nacional Republicana - Portugal
People's Armed Police - People's Republic of China
Royal Constabulary - Netherlands
State's Military Police - Brazil

Paramilitary groups as extra-judicial "security" forces

These groups are neither a police agency nor a military organization. These elements act outside the law and, in functional democracies, are both illegal and considered part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

This sort of paramilitary force exists ostensibly to assure the internal control of a country and to suppress anarchy, civil war, but more often simply to suppress change. They are typically armed with small arms and wear military uniforms. They may also use tear gas and other non-lethal weapons. Such paramilitaries may be controlled by the ruling political party or by the head of state personally rather than by the legal government.

In some situations, where the state or military apparatus is particularly weak or absent, they can act with a large degree of practical independence, having their own command structures and benefitting from private sponsors (instead of, or in addition to, any institutional ones), such as landowners, regional authorities, local interest groups, former victims of revolutionary paramilitary forces, warlords, drug lords or foreign interests. These sponsors may then be able to further extend their influence or control over the paramilitary forces, or even organize paramilitary groups of their own.

These forces ostensibly operate to enforce the law but may act with disregard of the rule of law or at cross-purposes to the existing civilian or military authorities, which may or may not lead to confrontation if the resulting discrepancies are significant enough.

Depending on their degree of political and financial autonomy, the relationship between the independent paramilitary forces and official institutions can vary from one of tolerance or incidental alliances (rather than of direct oversight and cooperation) to outright illegality. These groups may then act according to their own subset of tactical, economical and even political objectives, which may or may not be in opposition to those of the central government or established military command as a whole. Paramilitary forces have been responsible for some violations of the laws of war and for several atrocities.

Examples of this kind of paramilitary force include the Colombian right wing paramilitary groups such as the AUC, and loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland, such as the Ulster Volunteer Force, or the UDA. The Haganah, precursor of the Israeli Defense Force, was also a paramilitary group that defended Jewish-acquired territory in Palestine during the British Mandate period. (For their opponents, see next).

Revolutionary and guerilla paramilitary groups

Some paramilitaries are formed to fight the current government of a country or region. This includes rebellions against recognized governments and attacks on occupying forces. While some insurrections are carried out by rebellious units of a country's military, many are staged by paramilitary groups. When a group is acting locally against a military occupation, its members may be referred to as partisans, guerrillas, or as resistance fighters by supporters. The military occupation forces will generally refer to them as terrorists, insurgents, or rebels.

Unlike state security paramilitaries, these groups are typically engaged in asymmetric warfare against an established and stronger force. In fact, they may be fighting both against the government and against other paramilitaries that support or are controlled by the government.

Examples include the FARC and ELN in Colombia; EZLN in Mexico; Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah in the Middle East; and the Lord's Resistance Army of Uganda. Two of the oldest and best known revolutionary paramilitary armies in Europe are the Provisional Irish Republican Army, in Northern Ireland and the Basque separatist group ETA, in Spain, both of which have stated their decommissioning.

In some instances, paramilitary groups have worked to destabilize and overthrow (supposedly) democratic governments, generally to create a fascist regime or, alternatively, to support a Communist revolution. As a consequence, many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting private paramilitary groups.

Examples include the Sturmabteilung (helped install Nazi Germany), the Blackshirts (helped install Fascism in Italy).

Paramilitary commandos

In some cases, paramilitary groups are formed to perform commando functions. Unlike internal security forces and revolutionaries, commando paramilitary groups are generally small and highly trained. The paramilitary operations of the CIA and Mossad (as distinct from their intelligence-gathering function) are one example. Police SWAT teams and Black Cats are another.

Paramilitary groups as mercenaries

Paramilitary groups may also be formed to serve as mercenaries or private armies. Among the best-known of such groups is Executive Outcomes, a mercenary corporation that operated in Africa in the 1990s. Such groups are often made up of former military personnel, especially former South African soldiers.

Private firms have recently gained a major role in the operation of Western militaries, especially that of the United States. Such private military contractors played key roles in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the subsequent occupation, doing jobs like logistics and security.

See the SourceWatch article: Private Military Corporations

Non-combat paramilitary organizations

Because "paramilitary" refers to the organization, not the purpose, of a group, some groups could be called paramilitary whose purpose is not to fight. These groups adopt some aspects of military culture and military discipline, such as military courtesy or a strict hierarchy. In wartime, groups like these may be pressed into combat because they have the necessary discipline and organization.

Many of these are youth organizations, especially cadet corps or military auxiliaries. Examples include the Scouting movement, State Defence and Guard Units, the Boys' Brigade, the Hitler Youth, the Young Marines (US), United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Civil Air Patrol (the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary), the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps and the American Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps.

The Sea Org is another example of a non-combat paramilitary organization.

External links

Types of military | Irregular military | Paramilitary organizations

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