List of defunct paramilitary organizations

Last updated March 26, 2025

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	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	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	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