List of defunct paramilitary organizations

The following is a list of defunct paramilitary organizations.

List of defunct governmental paramilitary units (in alphabetical order)

Name Region Active between Type Notes
Barracked People's Police (KVP)  East Germany 1948–1956 gendarmerie Formed by the Soviet Military Administration in Germany as the precursor to the National People's Army
B-Gendarmerie Austria Allied-occupied Austria 1949–1954 gendarmerie Formed as the precursor to the Austrian Armed Forces
Bundesgrenzschutz  Germany 1951–2005 border guard Responsible for border patrol and transport security. Also precursor to the Bundeswehr
Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment  East Germany 1954–1990 light infantry Paramilitary unit of the East German secret service Stasi. Responsible for the security of the government leaders and government facilities. Dissolved during German reunification.
Grenztruppen  East Germany 1946–1990 border guard Responsible for border patrol and prevention of Republikflucht, including along the inner-German border and the Berlin Wall. Dissolved during German reunification.
Dignity Battalions  Panama 1988–1990 light infantry Created to oppose a foreign invasion. Dissolved after the U.S. invasion of Panama.
Fedayeen Saddam Iraq Iraq 1995–2003 irregular unit Created as an irregular military force separate from the Iraqi Armed Forces reporting directly to President Saddam Hussein. Dissolved after the U.S.-lead invasion of Iraq.
Haganah  Mandatory Palestine 1920–1948 Precursor of the Israeli army Origins in guarding Jewish colonies
Kuva-yi Miliye Turkey Turkey 1918–1921 irregular unit Created as irregular military forces serving the Grand National Assembly during the Turkish War of Independence. Integrated into the Turkish Army.
National Police Reserve Allied-occupied Japan 1951–1954 police reserve Formed by the Japanese government and the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers as a precursor for the Japan Self-Defense Forces during the Korean War.
ORMO  Poland 1946–1989 police reserve Responsible for aiding the Milicja Obywatelska in suppressing demonstrations. Declined during the period of martial law in the 1980s and was officially dissolved by the Sejm in 1989.
Volkspolizei-Bereitschaft  East Germany 1955–1990 police reserve Served as riot control and anti-insurgency regiment functioning alongside the Stasi. Dissolved during German unification.
Sarandoy  Democratic Republic Of Afghanistan 1978–1992 gendarmerie Nicknamed "Defenders of the Revolution", Sarandoy was founded after the Saur Revolution and specialized in counterinsurgency and internal security. At its peak Sarandoy had 115,000 men and women under their command. Sarandoy was run by the Khalq faction of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan and would occasionally clash with the Parchamite-dominated KHAD.
Sicherheitspolizei  Germany 1919–1935 security police Formed by Gustav Noske and the Reichswehr to control political violence from paramilitary parties after the German Revolution. Integrated into the Gestapo and the Reichswehr after the Nazi takeover.
Zelene Beretke Bosnia and Herzegovina 1991–1992 Paramilitary They were mostly active during the war in the early part of 1992 in northern and central Bosnia

List of defunct non-governmental paramilitary units

Australia

Austria

Czechoslovakia

Finland

Germany

Hungary

India

Pakistan

Italy

Poland

Romania

Sweden

Yugoslavia

others

See also