Irregular Military - Other Names For Irregular Military Formations

Other Names For Irregular Military Formations

The term “irregular military” describes the “how” and “what”, but it is more common to focus on the “why”. Bypassing the legitimate military and taking up arms is an extreme measure. The motivation for doing so is often used as the basis of the primary label for any irregular military. Different terms come in and out of fashion, based on political and emotional associations that develop. Here is a list of such terms, organized more or less from oldest to latest.

• Revolutionary — someone part of a revolution, whether military or not.
• Guerrilla — someone who uses unconventional military tactics, tends to refer to groups engaged in open conflict rather than underground resistance. Term coined during the Peninsula War in Spain against France.
• Franc-tireur — French irregular forces during the Franco-Prussian War. But is also used in international legal cases as a synonym for unprivileged combatant (see for example the Hostages Trial ).
• Militia — military force composed of ordinary citizens.
• Partisan — In the 20th century, someone part of a resistance movement. In the 18th and 19th century, a local conventional military force using irregular tactics. Often used to refer to resistance movements against the Axis Powers during the Second World War.
• Freedom fighter — type of irregular military which the main cause, in their or their supporters' view, is freedom for themselves or others.
• Paramilitary — non-regular Armed Force with a claim to official status.
• Terrorist — irregular military who target civilians in order to gain political leverage; this term is almost always used pejoratively, and is, like the term freedom fighter, very subjective.
• False flag or pseudo-operations where troops of one side dress like another to eliminate or discredit them and their support, such as the Selous Scouts of the Rhodesian Bush War.
• Insurgent — an alternate term for a member of an irregular military. Tends to refer to members of underground groups such as the Iraqi Insurgency rather than larger rebel organizations such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

Intense debates can build up over which of these terms to use when referring to a specific group. Using one term over another can imply either strong support or opposition for the cause being fought over.

It is possible for a military to cross the line between regular and irregular. Isolated regular army units forced to operate without regular support for long periods of time can degrade into irregulars. As an irregular military becomes more successful, they may transition away from irregular, even to the point of becoming the new regular army if they win.