MilitiaA militia ( mil-ISH-ə) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or serve as a pool of available manpower for regular forces to draw from. When acting independently, militias are generally unable to hold ground against regular forces.
United States Army ReserveThe United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. HistoryOriginsOn 23 April 1908 Congress created the Medical Reserve Corps, the official predecessor of the Army Reserve.
Military reserve forceA military reserve force is a military organization whose members (reservists) have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve forces are generally considered part of a permanent standing body of armed forces, and allow a nation to reduce its peacetime military expenditures and maintain a force prepared for war.
Army National GuardOrganized militia force and a federal military reserve force of the United States ArmyMilitary unitThe Army National Guard (ARNG) is an organized militia force and a federal military reserve force of the United States Army.
Army Reserve (United Kingdom)The Army Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the British Army. It is separate from the Regular Reserve whose members are ex-regular personnel who retain a statutory liability for service. Descended from the Territorial Force (1908 to 1921), the Army Reserve was known as the Territorial Army (TA) from 1921 to 1967 and again from 1979 to 2014, and the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) from 1967 to 1979.
Irregular militaryIrregular military is any military component distinct from a country's regular armed forces, representing non-standard militant elements outside of conventional governmental backing. Irregular elements can consist of militias, private armies, mercenaries, or other non-state actors, though no single definition exists beyond exclusion from national service.
MercenaryA mercenary (, MUR-sə-nerr-ee), merc ( or ), or soldier of fortune is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather than for political interests. Beginning in the 20th century, mercenaries have increasingly come to be seen as less entitled to protection by rules of war than non-mercenaries.
Conscription in the United KingdomIn the United Kingdom, military conscription has existed for two periods in modern times. The first was from 1916 to 1920, and the second from 1939 to 1960. The last conscription term ended in 1963 although many soldiers chose to continue in the service beyond 1963. It was legally designated as "Military Service" from 1916 to 1920, and as "National Service" from 1939 to 1960.Private armyA private army (or private military) is a military force under the command of a private person or organization, rather than a nation or state.
MilitaryOrganized force intended for warfareNATO military ceremony in Pabradė, Lithuania, November 2014A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a distinct military uniform.
Military serviceMilitary service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Few nations, such as Israel, require a specific amount of military service from every citizen, except for special cases, such as limitation determined by a military physical or religious belief.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.