The phrase Defence Force(s) (or Defense Force(s) in US English - see spelling differences) is in the title of the

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

of certain countries and territories.

Defence forces

Ambazonia Defence Forces The Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF) are a military organization that fights for the independence of Ambazonia, a self-declared independent state in the Anglophone regions of the former Southern Cameroons, Cameroon. It was formally established by th ...

* Artsakh Defence Army *

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Forc ...

* Bahrain Defence Force * Barbados Defence Force * Belize Defence Force *

Botswana Defence Force The Botswana Defence Force (BDF, tn, Sesole Sa Botswana) is the military of Botswana. The main component of the BDF is the Botswana Ground Force; there is also an air wing and a riverine patrol contingent attached to the ground forces, with 10 ...

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

: Federal Defence Forces of Germany. *

Burundi National Defence Force The ''Burundi'' National Defence Force (french: Force de defense nationale ''du Burundi'', or FDNB) is the state military organisation responsible for the defence of Burundi. A general staff (''État-Major Général'') commands the armed forces, ...

* Danish Defence: the unified armed forces of the Kingdom of Denmark *

Defense Forces of Georgia The Defence Forces of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს თავდაცვის ძალები, tr), or Georgian Defence Forces (GDF), are the combined military forces of Georgia, tasked with the defense of the nation's indep ...

Defence Force of Haiti The Defence Force of Haiti (french: Force de Défense d'Haïti) was the envisaged name of the planned, reconstituted armed forces of the Republic of Haiti. Haiti had not had a regular armed forces since 1995; a process to reestablish them was in ...

* Eritrean Defence Forces * Estonian Defence Forces *

Ethiopian National Defense Force The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) ( am, የኢፌዲሪ መከላከያ ሠራዊት, Ye’īfēdērī mekelakeya šerawīt, lit=FDRE Defense Force) is the military force of Ethiopia. Civilian control of the military is carried out t ...

Falkland Islands Defence Force The Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) is the locally maintained volunteer defence unit in the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory. The FIDF works alongside the military units supplied by the United Kingdom to ensure the security ...

Finnish Defence Forces The Finnish Defence Forces ( fi, Puolustusvoimat, sv, Försvarsmakten) are the military of Finland. The Finnish Defence Forces consist of the Finnish Army, the Finnish Navy and the Finnish Air Force. In wartime the Finnish Border Guard (which i ...

* Guyana Defence Force * Hungarian Defence Force *

Irish Defence Forces The Defence Forces ( ga, Fórsaí Cosanta, officially styled ) derives its origins from the Irish Volunteers. Whilst the Irish for ''Defence Forces'' is , as Ó Cearúil (1999) points out, the Defence Forces are officially styled . is used in ...

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

* Jamaica Defence Force *

Japan Self-Defense Forces The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the ...

* Kenya Defence Forces *

Lesotho Defence Force The Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) is the military of the Southern African Kingdom of Lesotho, which consists of about 2,000 personnel and is tasked with maintaining internal security, territorial integrity, and defending the constitution of Lesoth ...

Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces The National Defence Volunteer Forces or NDVF ( lt, Krašto apsaugos savanorių pajėgos [], previously []) is a branch of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Volunteer forces were officially established on 17 January 1991 by the law of the Supreme Co ...

*Malawian Defence Force *

Maldives National Defence Force , image = Emblem of the Maldives National Defence Force.svg , alt = Emblem of the Defence Force , caption = Maldives National Defence Force emblem , image2 = Flag of the Maldives National Defe ...

* Mozambique Defence Armed Forces *

Namibia Defence Force The Namibian Defence Force (NDF) comprises the national military forces of Namibia. It was created when the country, then known as South West Africa, gained independence from South Africa in 1990. Chapter 15 of the Constitution of Namibia establ ...

National Defence Forces (Syria) The National Defence Forces (NDF) ( ar, قوات الدفاع الوطني ''Quwāt ad-Difāʿ al-Watanī'') is a pro-government militia, that was formed on 1 November 2012 and organized by the Syrian government during the Syrian Civil War as a ...

: Syrian pro-government militia *

New Zealand Defence Force The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF; mi, Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa, "Line of Defence of New Zealand") are the armed forces of New Zealand. The NZDF is responsible for the protection of the national security of New Zealand and her realm, prom ...

Norwegian Defence The Norwegian Armed Forces ( no, Forsvaret, , The Defence) is the military organization responsible for the defence of Norway. It consists of five branches, the Norwegian Army, the Royal Norwegian Navy, which includes the Coast Guard, the Roy ...

: the unified armed forces of the Kingdom of Norway * Papua New Guinea Defence Force *

People's Liberation Army Navy Coastal Defense Force The People's Liberation Army Navy Coastal Defense Force is one of five branches of the People's Liberation Army Navy.Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force The Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force (ABDF) is the armed forces of Antigua and Barbuda. The ABDF has responsibility for several different roles: internal security, prevention of Illegal drug trade, drug smuggling, the protection and support o ...

* Royal Bahamas Defence Force *

Royal Montserrat Defence Force The Royal Montserrat Defence Force is the home defence unit of the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. History Raised in 1899, the unit is today a reduced force of about forty volunteer soldiers, primarily concerned with civil Defence and ...

Rwanda Defence Force french: Forces rwandaises de défense sw, Nguvu ya Ulinzi ya Watu wa Rwanda , image = Rwanda Defense Force emblem.png , alt = , caption = , image2 = , alt2 = , caption2 ...

* Saint Kitts and Nevis Defence Force * Self-Defense Forces in the multi-ethnic territories of North and East Syria opposed to

Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...

Seychelles People's Defence Force The Seychelles People's Defence Force is the national military of Seychelles. It consists of a number of distinct branches: the Infantry Unit, Coast Guard, Air Force and a Presidential Protection Unit. Branches Coast Guard The Seychelles Coast ...

* Singapore Civil Defence Force: provides emergency services in Singapore * South African National Defence Force * South Sudan Defence Forces (militia) * South Sudan People's Defense Forces *

Southern Cameroons Defence Forces The Southern Cameroons Defence Forces (commonly referred to as SOCADEF) is the armed wing of the African People's Liberation Movement, an Ambazonian separatist movement. It is led by Ebenezer Akwanga, who is based in the United States, and its gro ...

* State defense forces: defense forces of individual US states. * Tanzania People's Defence Force * Territorial Defence Force (Poland) *

Territorial Defence Force (Ukraine) Territorial Defense or Territorial Defense Forces may refer to: Active * Territorial Troops Militia, a Cuban paramilitary militia under the command of the MINFAR * Territorial Forces (Finland) * Territorial Troops (Kazakhstan) * Territorial Defenc ...

Tigray Defense Forces The Tigray Defense Forces ( ti, ሓይልታት ምክልኻል ትግራይ, italic=no; TDF: ሓምት), colloquially ''Tigray Army'' () is a paramilitary rebel group in Tigray. It was founded by distant former generals of Ethiopia in 2020 t ...

Timor Leste Defence Force The Timor Leste Defence Force ( tet, Forcas Defesa Timor Lorosae, pt, Forças de Defesa de Timor Leste or Falintil-FDTL, often F-FDTL) is the military body responsible for the defence of East Timor. The F-FDTL was established in February 200 ...

* Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force *

Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force The Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) is the military of the Southern African Kingdom of Eswatini (Swaziland). It is used primarily during domestic protests, with some border and customs duties; the force has never been involved in a foreign ...

* Uganda People's Defence Force * Vietnam Self-Defence Force *

Zambian Defence Force The Zambian Defence Force is the military of Zambia. It consists of the Zambian Army, the Zambian Air Force, and the Zambia National Service. The defence forces were formed at Zambian independence on 24 October 1964, from constituent units of the ...

* Zimbabwe Defence Forces

Air Defence Forces

Air defence forces Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

(Anti-Aircraft Warfare) * Cuban Air and Air Defense Force * Egyptian Air Defense Forces * Islamic Republic of Iran Air Defense Force *

Kazakh Air Defense Forces , image = Coa vvsrk.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = Emblem of the Kazakh Air Defence Forces , start_date = , country = , allegi ...

: Air Force of Kazakhstan *

Syrian Air Defense Force The Syrian Air Defense Force (SyADF), officially the Syrian Arab Air Defense Force ( ar, قوات الدفاع الجوي العربي السوري) is an independent command within the Syrian Armed Forces. It is responsible for protecting the S ...

Territorial Air Defence Forces The Territorial Air Defence Force (french: Forces de défense aérienne du Territoire , ar, قوات الدفاع الجوي عن الإقليم) abbreviated as DAT) is an armed service/branch of the Algerian People's National Army, the armed force ...

: Part of the Algerian People's National Armed Forces *

Ukrainian Air Defence Forces The Ukrainian Air Defence Forces ( uk, Війська протиповітряної оборони України) were an anti-aircraft military service of Ukraine, active from 1992 to 2004. They were established on the basis of the former Sovi ...

* Uzbekistan Air and Air Defence Forces At the start of the Cold War, the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

had established the Aerospace Defense Command. It was broken into three different regions: * Eastern Air Defense Force: (1949-1960) * Central Air Defense Force: (1951-1960) * Western Air Defense Force: (1949-1960)

Defunct Defence Forces

* British Solomon Islands Protectorate Defence Force (1889-1976) * Ceylon Defence Force: Regular force of

British Ceylon British Ceylon ( si, බ්‍රිතාන්‍ය ලංකාව, Britānya Laṃkāva; ta, பிரித்தானிய இலங்கை, Biritthāṉiya Ilaṅkai) was the British Crown colony of present-day Sri Lanka between ...

(1881-1949) *

Citizens' Defence Force The Citizens' Defence Force (1922) was a unit of former British Army soldiers and Irish Volunteers organised by Ireland as a semi-secret group of about 100 operatives. It was financed from the Secret Service budget to mount foot patrols and gather ...

: A unit of former British Army soldiers and Irish Volunteers organised by Ireland during the Irish Civil War (1922) *

Croatian Defence Forces The Croatian Defence Forces ( hr, Hrvatske obrambene snage or HOS) were the paramilitary arm of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) from 1991 to 1992, during the first stages of the Yugoslav wars. During the Croatian War of Independence, the HOS ...

: (1991-1993) *

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

: Wehrmacht translated to defence forces (1935-1945) **

Fatherland Defense Force The Fatherland Defense Force ( lt, Tėvynės apsaugos rinktinė or TAR) or Kampfgruppe Mäder (german: Kampfgruppe Mäder) was a short-lived military unit hastily formed in northwestern Lithuania towards the end of World War II to combat Operation ...

: A short-lived Wehrmacht-backed Lithuanian military unit made to defend Lithuania against the Soviet Army (1944) * Iceland Defense Force: (1951-2006) *

Indian Defence Force The Indian Defence Force (IDF) was a part-time defence force established as part of the Indian Army in 1917 in order to release regular troops from garrison duties during the First World War. It was divided into British and Indian sections. Lik ...

: (1917-1920) * Lithuanian Territorial Defense Force: (1944) * Lofa Defense Force: Liberian Rebel Group (1993-1996) * Panama Defense Forces: (1968-1989) *

People's Self-Defense Force The People's Self-Defense Force ( vi, nhân dân tự vệ) was a South Vietnamese part-time village level militia during the Vietnam War. The People's Self-Defense Force mainly protected homes and villages from attacks by the Viet Cong (VC) and ...

: South Vietnamese militia (1968-1975) * Popular Defence Forces: Paramilitary Force in Sudan (1989-2019) * Royal Hong Kong Defence Force: (1960s-1970) * Russian Aerospace Defence Forces: (2011-2015) * South African Defence Force: (1957-1994) *

Soviet Air Defence Forces The Soviet Air Defence Forces (russian: войска ПВО, ''voyska protivovozdushnoy oborony'', ''voyska PVO'', ''V-PVO'', lit. ''Anti-Air Defence Troops''; and formerly ''protivovozdushnaya oborona strany'', ''PVO strany'', lit. ''Anti-Air De ...

: (1941-1991) *

Sudan Defence Force The Sudan Defence Force (SDF) was a locally recruited British-led force formed in 1925 to assist the police in the event of civil unrest, and to maintain the borders of British administered Sudan. During the Second World War, it also served bey ...

: (1924-1955) *

Territorial Defence Force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Territorial Defence Force of the Republic of Bosnia and Hercegovina (''Teritorijalna odbrana Bosne i Hercegovine (TO BiH)'') were the first official armed forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the beginning of the Bosnian War. Which eventually ...

: (1990-1992) *

Territorial Defense Forces (Yugoslavia) The Territorial Defense ( sh, Територијална Oдбрана / , TO for short) was a component of the armed forces of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that was the primary means of organized armed resistance against ...

: (1969-1992) * Union Defence Force (South Africa): Predecessor to the South African Defence Force (1912-1957) * United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia: (1997-2008) * Zanzibar Volunteer Defence Force: (1914-????)

South Africa

In South Africa under

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

the nominally independent

Bantustan A Bantustan (also known as Bantu homeland, black homeland, black state or simply homeland; ) was a territory that the National Party administration of South Africa set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa (now N ...

s had their own forces, separately from the South African Defence Force: *

Bophuthatswana Defence Force The Bophuthatswana Defence Force ( af, Bophuthatswana Weermag; BDF) was established on 6 December 1977 from trainees of the South African Defence Force. It was the defence force of the Republic of Bophuthatswana, a nominally independent bantust ...

: (1977-1994) *

Ciskei Defence Force The Ciskei Defence Force (CDF) was established during March 1981 from the 141 Battalion of the South African Defence Force (SADF). It was the defence force of Ciskei, a bantustan that was controlled by the apartheid regime of South Africa. The CD ...

: (1981-1994) *

Transkei Defence Force The Transkei Defence Force (TDF) was established during March 1981, from the 141 Battalion of the South African Defence Force (SADF). It was the defence force of the Republic of Transkei, a nominally independent bantustan during the Apartheid e ...

: (1981-1994) *

Venda Defence Force The Venda Defence Force (VDF) was established in September 1982 from the 112 Battalion of the South African Defence Force and the military branch of the Venda National Force which itself had been formed when the Venda homeland became independent ...

: (1979-1994)

Football clubs

A number of football clubs related to defence forces are also named such, for example: * Defence Force F.C., of Trinidad and Tobago *

Barbados Defence Force SC The Barbados Defence Force Sports Program (BDFSP) is the sporting arm of the Barbados Defence Force. BDFSP recruits and trains athletes in five disciplines; football, cricket, table tennis, athletics and boxing. The program provides an opportunit ...

Belize Defence Force FC Belize Defence Force Football Club is a Belizean football team based in Belize City which currently competes in the Premier League of Belize of the Football Federation of Belize. It is sponsored by the country's national army of the same name. ...

* Botswana Defence Force XI *

Guyana Defence Force FC Guyana Defence Force FC, colloquially known simply as Defence Force is a Guyanese football club in Georgetown. The club competes in the GFF Elite League The Elite League, often referred to as GFF Elite League is the top level of the football ...

Lesotho Defence Force FC Lesotho Defence Force FC is a Lesotho football club based in Maseru. It is based in the city of Maseru in the Maseru District. The team currently plays in Lesotho Premier League The Lesotho Premier League also known as Econet Premier League is ...

Defence forces

Air Defence Forces

Defunct Defence Forces

South Africa

Football clubs

See also