In this article, we list and talk about the 20 countries with the toughest paramilitary forces in the world. If you need to skip our detailed talk on the most sensible, you can move on to the five most sensible countries with the toughest paramilitary forces. forces in the world.
In recent years and throughout history, governments have used paramilitary forces at times, primarily to counter tense conditions in the country. For example, in 2014, when the Russian-backed armed forces took control of Ukraine, a self-funded paramilitary group, the Azov Battalion, was formed to fight the crisis. On another occasion, in 2019, the Chinese government deployed a paramilitary force, the People’s Armed Police (PAP), to quell protests in Hong Kong.
A paramilitary or quasi-military force is a semi-militarized force that has the same organizational structure, tactics and training, and also purposes, as a pro-army force. But formally, it is not a component of either an army or a civilian force. While paramilitary forces may appear similar to military forces, there are sophisticated differences between the two forces.
A military force is a highly trained armed force, officially organized and operated under the sovereign government, whose primary function is to protect the country against external threats, maintain national security, and engage in war if necessary. The military forces are subject to strict hierarchical command structures and operate in accordance with established laws and regulations.
On the other hand, paramilitary forces are deployed for a purpose; internal security, counterinsurgency (measures taken against revolutionaries), or assisting army forces in non-combat operations. Unlike the classic army, paramilitary forces operate with more flexibility and less responsibility.
In global politics and conflicts, paramilitary forces help counter unforeseen internal events, such as violence, protests, ethnic unrest, etc. Moreover, those forces are on the front lines when it comes to protecting large-scale sites and infrastructure, as well as protection. public figures and the fight against terrorism within the country. For example, in September 2023, when six footballers were kidnapped through a militant organization in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, the Pakistani government resorted to paramilitary forces to rescue the players.
While paramilitaries can contribute to the stability of the country, if they are not controlled by the government, those same forces can become the cause of civil unrest. Since those forces are used during unforeseen emergencies, such as violent civil protests opposed to sovereign rule, they function more flexibly. They would possibly act outside the law, commit human rights violations, and engage in illegal activities against protesting civilians, possibly posing a risk to public safety. However, the dangers vary from country to country. For example, in its Prevention of Private Paramilitary Activities Act of 2024, the U. S. Congress declared unauthorized personal paramilitary forces illegal. Therefore, other people joining such teams would possibly face potential legal consequences.
In addition, this law could minimize the demand for weapons and ammunition used by private paramilitary groups, which could have an effect on arms manufacturers’ sales in the United States. Some key players in the U. S. firearms industry are a key player in the U. S. The U. S. Secretary of State is Sturm Ruger.
Sturm Ruger
For his part, Smith
Meanwhile, Olin Corp (NYSE: OLN), a leading manufacturer of chemicals and munitions, has struggled in recent years as its sales have declined faster than most other companies, mainly due to reduced commercial demand and emerging costs of uncooked curtains. : OLN) net source of revenue for the fourth quarter of 2023 $52. 9 million, a low of $143. 7 million compared to the fourth quarter of 2022. The new law banning private paramilitary groups in the U. S. The U. S. could further damage Olin Corp’s (NYSE: OLN) earnings in the coming quarter.
ANURAKE SINGTO-ON/Shutterstock. com
For our list of the 20 countries with the toughest paramilitary forces in the world, we used two metrics: the strength of paramilitary forces in numbers and the final 2024 budget for each country’s military forces. We rank countries based on a weighted average score of these two indicators, with the former having a weighting of 70 per cent and the moment having a weighting of 30 per cent. The list is ranked in descending order, starting with the 20th highest-scoring country and ending with the highest, with the final score adjusted according to its Weighted Average Rating. The defense finish of these countries comes from the 2024 Global Firepower Index.
By the way, Insider Monkey is an online investing site that uses a consensus technique to identify the most productive inventory selections among more than 900 hedging budgets that make an investment in U. S. inventory. UU. La online page tracks corporate insider movements and hedging budget. The top 10 consensus stock picks from the hedge budget outperformed the S-stock index
Paramilitaries by the numbers: 1,145,000
Military estimates for 2024: $2,533,000,000
Grade point average: 21. 9
Cuba has the 20th toughest and one of the largest paramilitary forces in the world, with an active paramilitary force of 1,145,500 troops. The Cuban government has allocated $2. 5 billion to its defense budget for 2024, a significant portion of which will be loyal to the paraarmy. forces, which represent approximately 93. 05% of the total strength of the Cuban army and 10. 4% of the country’s total population. Cuba’s paramilitary forces come with the Territorial Troops Militia and the National Revolutionary Militia.
Paramilitaries by the numbers: 120,000
Military estimates for 2024: $14,824,000,000
Grade point average: 21. 5
Mexico’s paramilitary forces have a strength of around 120,000 men, making them the 20th largest paramilitary group in the world as of 2024. With a defense budget of more than $14 billion, Mexico’s paramilitary forces make up approximately 19. 03% of its total military. a key role in the fight against organized crime and drug cartels.
Paramilitaries by the numbers: 105,000
Military estimates for 2024: $31,600,000,000
Grade point average: 19. 9
Compared to the other countries on the list, Italy has a much smaller paramilitary force, with an active military strength of only 105,000 people. However, the country has a huge defense budget: $31. 6 billion, and its entire military is among the ten most sensible. armed forces of the world. Since paramilitaries account for about 36. 33% of the country’s total armed forces, a significant portion of the defense budget is loyal to the modernization, technological advancement, health, and education of the paramilitary forces.
Paramilitaries by the numbers: 250,000
Military estimates for 2024: $7,900,000,000
Grade point average: 18. 7
Vietnamese paramilitary forces are varied and include groups such as the People’s Public Security and Border Defense Force. Its paramilitary forces contain about 250,000 men. Vietnam’s tough paramilitary army has been formed through a history of conflict. The country also has a maritime military force, the Standing Maritime Militia Unit, which actively patrols and protects the coast and maritime interests. It is one of the countries with the highest number of hardcore paramilitaries. .
Paramilitaries by the numbers: 150,000
Military estimates for 2024: $14,012,180,000
Grade point average: 18. 6
Colombia has a paramilitary force of more than 150,000 soldiers. Colombia’s paramilitary forces are also recognized around the world for their expertise in jungle warfare, thanks to decades of fighting guerrilla groups. In 2024, Colombia’s military budget stands at more than $14 billion, which is helping to equip the country’s paramilitary forces, which account for approximately 31. 37% of the Colombian military’s total strength.
Paramilitaries by the numbers: 500,000
Military estimates for 2024: $6,349,876,689
Grade point average: 18. 3
Pakistan, which will have the ninth-toughest army in the world by 2024, has a paramilitary force of more than 500,000 men. Although the country has a modest defense budget of more than $6 billion, paramilitaries make up about 29. 34% of the country’s total workforce. Pakistan also allocates a really significant amount of resources to its paramilitary forces.
There are several paramilitary forces in the country, the largest of which is the Civil Armed Forces (CAF), which in turn contains nine other paramilitary groups. Among them, the most important are the Sindh Rangers and the Punjab Rangers. In general, Pakistan’s paramilitaries are primarily focused on counterterrorism, border security, and fighting criminals.
Paramilitaries by the numbers: 120,000
Military estimates for 2024: $44,700,000,000
Grade point average: 18
South Korea has a giant paramilitary force with a force of 120,000 soldiers. By 2024, the country’s defense budget stands at $44. 7 billion, the eleventh-highest budget globally this year. Despite the fact that paramilitaries make up only 3. 14% of South Korea’s total military, it is undeniable that the country’s military strength is among the five most sensible armies in the world. South Korea is investing in state-of-the-art generation and education of its paramilitaries, employing technologies such as synthetic intelligence in its paramilitary operations.
Paramilitaries by the numbers: 220,000
Military estimates for 2024: $9,954,451,000
Grade point average: 17. 6
With a long history of wars and internal conflicts, the Islamic Republic of Iran has a resilient army and paramilitary force to protect the country from all kinds of threats. In 2024, the country had a total of 220,000 paramilitaries, approximately 18. 64% of the total. and 0. 3% of the total population.
Iran’s main force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has created quite a few paramilitary forces to exert operational control over the Persian Gulf. The Basij, one of the IRGC’s five forces, is one of the country’s largest volunteer paramilitary militias. country, with approximately 90,000 active troops. It is deployed to fight drug traffickers and smugglers.
Paramilitaries by the numbers: 150,000
Military estimates for 2024: $40,000,000,000
Grade point average: 16. 5
With a defense budget of $40 billion, Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, has one of the toughest military forces in the world. Part of this budget goes to paramilitaries, who make up about 16. 97 percent of the total military force. , or 0. 2 percent of the total population. In addition, the paramilitary forces constitute the second largest corps after the army, with the Turkish gendarmerie as the main unit with 100,000 men.
On March 6, 2024, Turkish gendarmerie forces destroyed a total of 59 caves, bunkers, and explosives depots of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a Kurdish militant political organization, with the aim of taking over Kurdish spaces in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey will have to promote the rights and recognition of Kurds.
Paramilitaries by the numbers: 150,000
Military estimates for 2024: $21,600,000,000
Grade point average: 16. 4
Algeria, which ranks 11th on the list, is a North African country with a defense budget of more than $21 billion. In 2024, it had a paramilitary force of 150,000 men, accounting for 24. 59% of the total military strength and 0. 3% of the total population. Most of these figures come from the National Gendarmerie, Algeria’s largest paramilitary force, used primarily to maintain law and order in towns, cities and rural areas.
Paramilitaries by the numbers: 300,000
Military estimates for 2024: $9,400,000,000
Grade point average: 15. 4
With an annual defense expenditure of more than $9 billion, Egypt is a country with a strong army, made up of around 1,220,000 men. The army has a paramilitary force of 300,000 men, accounting for 24. 59 percent of the total force and 0. 3 percent of the total force. the population of the country. The Central Security Force (CSF) is the main paramilitary unit in Egypt tasked with protecting sensitive government sites and containing civil unrest.
Paramilitaries by the numbers: 200,000
Military estimates for 2024: $24,752,000,000
Grade point average: 14. 5
Brazil is the largest country in South America, with a population of over 218 million. The country’s armed forces number 900,000 military personnel, of which 200,000 are paramilitary forces. Paramilitary forces account for 22. 22 per cent of the total military force and 0. 1 per cent of the total military force. In addition, the Brazilian army has a paramilitary unit, the Special Combat Command, tasked with fighting terrorism inside the country, basically getting rid of other illegal paramilitary groups, mainly in Rio de Janeiro.
Paramilitaries by the numbers: 220,000
Military estimates for 2024: $24,120,000,000
Grade point average: 14. 4
With a defense budget of $24,120,000,000 and a total paramilitary corps of 220,000 people, Venezuela is among the top 10 sensible countries with the highest number of hardcore paramilitaries in the world. As of 2024, the country includes many legal paramilitary units, adding the Bolivarian National. The Armed Forces, as well as the National Guard and the National Militia, are basically focused on internal security problems such as the fight against drug trafficking, the development of rescue operations, and assistance to civilians in the event of natural disasters.
Paramilitaries by the numbers: 150,000
Military estimates for 2024: $49,730,000,000
Grade point average: 14. 2
France, one of Europe’s richest countries, has allocated about $50 billion to its defense this year. A very significant part of this amount could go to the 150,000 paramilitary forces, which represent about 39. 89 per cent of the total. and 0. 2 percent of the country’s population. The main paramilitary force in France is the National Gendarmerie, a police force under the Ministry of the Interior, tasked with ensuring public security against all kinds of internal threats.
In 2021, the National Gendarmerie, together with Europol, dismantled a criminal organisation involved in €13 million worth of money fraud and cash laundering across Europe.
Paramilitaries in numbers: 6,800,000
Military estimates for 2024: $6,995,040,000
Grade point average: 13. 6
In terms of paramilitary strength in numbers, Bangladesh has the largest number of paramilitaries in the world. With a force of 6,800,000 men, Bangladesh’s paramilitaries make up 97. 66 percent of its entire army and approximately 4. 1 percent of the country’s total population.
The main paramilitary forces in Bangladesh are the Bangladesh Border Guard-BGB, the Coast Guard, the Village Defence Force, and Ansar. These forces are deployed at demonstrations, political events, or any anomalous activity in the country. Last year, in November 2023, a total of 65,000 members of Bangladesh Ansar and the Village Defence Party (VDP) were deployed across the country on railways, waterways and roads to ensure public protection against the lawlessness and fires perpetrated by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Click to continue reading and see the five most sensible countries with the toughest paramilitary forces in the world.
Suggested Articles:
Disclosure: None. 20 Countries with the World’s Most Powerful Paramilitary Forces originally appeared on Insider Monkey.