A field force in British, Indian Army and Tanzanian military parlance is a combined arms land force operating under actual or assumed combat circumstances, usually for the length of a specific military campaign. It is used by other nations, but can have a different meaning.

United Kingdom

A field force would be created from the various units in an area of military operations and be named for the geographical area. Examples are:

• Kurram Field Force, 1878

• Peshawar Valley Field Force, 1878

• Kabul Field Force, 1879–1880

• Kabul-Kandahar Field Force, 1880

• Natal Field Force, 1881

• Zhob Field Force, 1890

• Mashonaland Field Force, 1896

• Malakand Field Force, 1896

• Tirah Field Force, 1897

• West African Frontier Force, 1900

Australian

In Australia, a field force comprises the units required to meet operational commitments.

Canadian

The Canadian Expeditionary Force was considered as a field force created to participate in World War I.

Other Canadian field forces in history include:

• Alberta Field Force, 1885

• Northwest Field Force, 1885

• Yukon Field Force, 1898–1900

United States

In the United States, during the Vietnam War the term came to stand for a corps-sized organization with other functions and responsibilities. To avoid confusion with the corps designations used by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam and to allow for a flexible organization, MACV and General William Westmoreland developed the "field force" such as I Field Force and II Field Force. Unlike an Army corps, which had a size and structure fixed by Army doctrine, the field force could expand as needed and had other functions such as liaison with South Vietnamese and civil affairs functions and was flexible enough to have many subordinate units assigned to it.

Police field forces

In counterinsurgency type campaigns, select and specially trained units of police armed and equipped as light infantry have been designated as police field forces who perform paramilitary type patrols and ambushes whilst retaining their police powers in areas that were highly dangerous.

Police Field Forces, Paramilitary and Counter-Insurgency Units

A

Royal Albanian Army 1928 - 1939

• Royal Albanian Gendarmerie 1913 - 1939

• Royal Border Guard (Albania) 1928 - 1939

Afghan Army

• Afghan Border Force

• Afghan National Civil Order Force 2006 - 2020

  Defense of the Revolution 1978 - 1980

• Sarandoy 1978 - 1992

• Garde communale 1996 - 2012, (Algerian Civil War)

B

• Bangladesh Ansar

  Flemish Guard 1941 - 1944, (German occupation of Belgium during World War II)

• Walloon Guard 1941 - 1944

Byelorussian Auxiliary Police 1941 - 1944, (Byelorussian collaboration with Nazi Germany)

• 13th Belarusian Police (SD) Battalion 1943 -1944, (German occupation of Byelorussia during World War II)

• Schutzmannschaft-Brigade Siegling 1944 only

Brazilian Army

Military Police (Brazil)

• National Public Security Force

• Military Police of Acre State

• Military Police of Espirito Santo State

• Military Police of Goiás State

• Military Police of Minas Gerais State

• Military Police of Parana State

• Military Police of Rio de Janeiro State

• Military Police of São Paulo State

• Public Forces (Brazil) 1880s - 1960s

C

Paramilitary forces of China

• People's Armed Police

National Police of Colombia

Directorate of Carabineers and Rural Security

• Mobile Carabinier Squadrons

• 1941 - 1945

• German-Croatian Police 1941 - 1944

D

HIPO Corps 1944 - 1945

• Lorenzen Group 1944 - 1945, (Denmark in World War II)

E

Estonian Auxiliary Police 1941 - 1944, (German occupation of Estonia during World War II)

• 36th Estonian Police Battalion 1943 - 1944 (German occupation of the Baltic states during World War II)

• Schutzmannschaft Battalion 33

F

French National Police

• Special Brigades

• Groupe mobile de réserve 1941 -1944

Milice 1943 - 1944

• Franc-Garde 1943 - 1944

G and H

British Army

• Gambia Regiment 1901 - 1958

Gambia Police Force

• Field Force,

Volkspolizei 1945 - 1990

• Volkspolizei-Bereitschaft 1955 - 1990

Ordnungspolizei (Order Police) 1936 - 1945, (Police forces of Nazi Germany)

Police Regiment Centre 1941 -1942 (Bandenbekampfung)

• Police Battalion 307 1941 - 1942

• Police Battalion 316 1941 - 1942

• Police Battalion 322 1941 - 1942

• Police Regiment North 1941 - 1942

Police Regiment South 1941 - 1942

• Police Battalion 45 1941 - 1942

• Police Battalion 303 1941 - 1942

• Police Battalion 314 1941 - 1942

Order Police battalions

• Police Battalion 306 1941 - 1942

• Police Battalion 309 1941 - 1945

• Police Battalion 320 1941 - 1942

• Reserve Police Battalion 33 1941 - 1943

• Reserve Police Battalion 101 1940 - 1943

  SS Police Regiment Bozen 1943 - 1945

• SS Police Regiment Brixen 1944 - 1945

• Schutzmannschaft 1941 - 1945

• Forest Protection Command 1939 -

Schutzstaffel (SS) 1925 - 1945

• 1st SS Police Regiment 1942 - 1945

• 2nd SS Police Regiment 1942 - 1943

• 3rd SS Police Regiment 1942 - 1943

• 4th SS Police Regiment 1942 - 1943

• 5th SS Police Regiment 1942 - 1944

• 6th SS Police Regiment 1942 - 1945

• 7th SS Police Regiment 1943 only

• 8th SS Police Regiment 1942 - 1945

• 9th SS Police Regiment 1942 - 1945

• 10th SS Police Regiment 1942 - 1944

• 11th SS Police Regiment 1942 -1944

• 12th SS Police Regiment 1942 - 1944

• 13th SS Police Regiment 1942 - 1944

• 14th SS Police Regiment 1942 - 1944

• 15th SS Police Regiment 1942 -

• 16th SS Police Regiment 1942 - 1944

• 17th SS Police Regiment 1942 -

• 18th SS Mountain Police Regiment 1942

• 19th SS Police Regiment 1942 -

• 20th SS Police Regiment 1942 -

• 21st SS Police Regiment 1942 -

• 22nd SS Police Regiment 1942 -

• 23rd SS Police Regiment 1942 - 1945

• 24th SS Police Regiment 1942 -

• 25th SS Police Regiment 1942 -

• 26th SS Police Regiment 1942 - 1944

• 27th SS Police Regiment 1942 -

• 28th SS Police Regiment Todt 1942 -

Allgemeine SS 1934 - 1945

• Postschutz 1933 - 1945

Waffen-SS 1933 - 1945

• 4th SS Polizei Panzergrenadier Division 1939 - 1945

• Kaminski Brigade 1941 - 1944

• Zollgrenzschutz 1918 - 1945

I

Indonesian National Police

• Mobile Brigade Corps

Paramilitary forces of India

• Home Guard (India)

National Security Guards

• 51 Special Action Group

• Railway Protection Force

• Special Protection Group

Research and Analysis Wing

• Special Frontier Force

• Special Group (India)

Central Armed Police Force

• Border Security Force

• Central Industrial Security Force

Indo-Tibetan Border Police

• Indo-Tibetan Border Police (Water Wing)

• Sashastra Seema Bal

Central Reserve Police Force

• Bastariya Battalion

• Commando Battalion for Resolute Action

Indian Army

• Assam Rifles

• Rashtriya Rifles

State Armed Police Forces

Andhra Pradesh Police

• Greyhounds

Jammu and Kashmir Police

• Special Operations Group

Kerala Police

• Kerala Thunderbolts

• Mizoram Armed Police

Odisha Police

• Special Operation Group (Odisha)

Telangana Police

• Greyhounds (police)

• Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary

West Bengal Police

• Counter Insurgency Force

• Eastern Frontier Rifles

Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran

• Border Guard Command (Iran)

  Wolf Brigade (Iraq)

Royal Irish Constabulary 1822 - 1922

• Auxiliary Division 1920 - 1922, (irish War of Independence)

• Black and Tans 1920 -1922, (Irish War of Independence)

Garda Síochána (Irish Police)

• Criminal Investigation Department (Ireland) 1921 - 1923, (Irish Civil War)

Israel Police

• Israel Border Police

Blackshirts 1923 -1943

• Battaglioni M 1941 - 1943

• Black Brigades 1944 - 1945

• Border Militia 1926 - 1943

• Forestry Militia 1926 - 1948

• Maritime Artillery Militia 1939 - 1943

• Port Militia 1924 -

J and K

Kenya Police

• General Service Unit (Mau Mau Uprising)

• Administration Police

L

Royal Lao Police 1955 - 1975

• Directorate of National Coordination 1960 - 1965, (Laotian Civil War)

  Latvian Auxiliary Police 1941 - 1944, (German occupation of Latvia during World War II)

  Lithuanian TDA Battalion 1941 only, (German occupation of Lithuania during World War II)

Lithuanian Auxiliary Police 1941 - 1945 (German occupation of the Baltic states during World War II)

• 10th Lithuanian Police Battalion 1941 - 1945

• 256th Lithuanian Police Battalion 1943 - 1944

• 258th Lithuanian Police Battalion 1944 only

• 259th Lithuanian Police Battalion 1944 only

M

Royal Malaysian Police

General Operations Force (Malayan Emergency)

• Senoi Praaq

• Marine Operations Force (Malayan Emergency)

• Mandatory Palestine

• British Gendarmerie 1922 - 1926

• Special Night Squads 1938 - 1939

Mauritius Police Force

• Special Mobile Force

Mexican Army

• Rurales

Moldovan Police

• Special Forces Brigade "Fulger"

Myanmar Army

• Border Guard Forces

Myanmar Police Force

• Border Guard Police

N

Namibian Police Force

• Special Field Force

Nigerian Police Force

• Nigerian Mobile Police

• Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps

• Statspolitiet 1941 - 1945, (German occupation of Norway)

O and P

Civil Armed Forces - (Paramilitary forces of Pakistan)

Frontier Corps

Frontier Corps Balochistan (North)

• Kurram Militia

• Zhob Militia

Frontier Corps Balochistan (South)

• Chagai Militia

• Dalbandin Rifles

• Kharan Rifles

• Taftan Rifles

Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North)

• Bajaur Scouts

• Bara Rifles

• Chitral Scouts

• Dir Scouts

• Khyber Rifles

• Mahsud Scouts

• Mohmand Rifles

• Orakzai Scouts

• Shawal Rifles

Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (South)

• Kurram Militia

• Zhob Militia

  Frontier Constabulary

• Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts

Pakistan Rangers

• Punjab Rangers

• Sindh Rangers

Pakistan Army

• Pakistan Coast Guard

National Guard (Pakistan)

• Janbaz Force

• Mujahid Force

Pakistan Levies

• Balochistan Levies

• Dir Levies

• Malakand Levies

Pakistan Navy

• Pakistan Maritime Security Agency

Former Paramilitary Forces

• Azad Kashmir Regular Force 1947 - 1972

• Federal Security Force (Pakistan) 1972 - 1977

• Gilgit Scouts 1913 - 1975

• Khasadar 1892 - 2019

• Mehran Force 1942 - 1995

National Police of Peru

• Sinchis - Internal conflict in Peru

Philippine National Police

• Special Action Force

  Provincial organization of volunteers and civil defence

Q and R

British South African Police 1889 - 1980

• Police Anti-Terrorist Unit 1966 - 1980, (Rhodesian Bush War) 1964 - 1979

• Police Support Unit

INTAF 1962 - 1979

• Grey's Scouts 1975 - 1986, (Rhodesian Bush War) 1964 - 1979

• Guard Force (Rhodesia) 1976 - 1980

• Security Force Auxiliaries 1978 - 1979 (Rhodesian Bush War 1964 - 1979

Internal Troops of Russia 1991 - 2016

• Rus (special forces) 1994 -2008

• Vityaz (MVD) 1991 - 2008

  Zubr (special police force)

S

Royal Solomon Islands Police Force

• Police Field Force

South African Army

• Commando System (South Africa)

Republic of Vietnam National Police 1955 - 1975

• Republic of Vietnam National Police Field Force 1966 - 1975, (Vietnam War)

• Republic of Vietnam River and Coastal Police 1965 - 1975, (Vietnam War)

South West African Police 1920 - 1990

• Koevoet 1979 - 1989

Ministry of Defence (Sri Lanka)

• Sri Lanka Civil Security Force

• Sri Lanka Coast Guard

Sri Lanka Police

• Special Task Force (Sri Lankan Civil War)

  Syrian Special Mission Forces

T

• Police Field Force (Zanzibar Revolution)

Royal Thai Police

Border Patrol Police

• Thahan Phran

• Village Scouts

• Volunteer Defense Corps (Thailand)

Gendarmerie General Command

• Village guard system

U

• National Guard of Ukraine

V

• Swiss Guard

Vanuatu Police Force

• Vanuatu Mobile Force

Vietnam People's Public Security

• Mobile Police Command

W, X and Y

Z

Zimbabwe Republic Police

• Police Support Unit

See also

• List of gendarmeries

• List of police tactical units

References