A militia (), generally refers to an army or other fighting force that is composed of non-professional fighters; citizens of a nation or subjects of a state or government that can be called upon to enter a combat situation, as opposed to a professional force of regular soldiers or, historically, members of the fighting nobility. Some of the ways the term is used include:
* Defense activity or service, to protect a community, its territory, property, and laws.
* The entire able-bodied population of a community, town, county, or state, available to be called to arms.
** A subset of these ...