WAlpha 66 is an anti-Castro paramilitary organization that operates in the Southern United States. The group was originally formed by Cuban exiles in the early 1960s and was most active in the late 1970s and 1980s. Although its base of support has greatly eroded due to the end of the Cold War and the thawing of relations between the United States and Cuba, Alpha 66 is still active today and is recognized as a terrorist organization by state governments and research groups alike.
WArizona Border Recon (AZBR) is an American paramilitary militia group in Arizona composed of former military, law enforcement and private security contractors.
WThe Atomwaffen Division, also known as the National Socialist Order is a neo-Nazi terrorist network. Formed in 2015 and based in the Southern United States, it has since expanded across the United States and into the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, the Baltic states and other European countries. The group is part of the alt-right, although the group rejects the label and is considered extreme even within that movement. It is listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
WThe Black Liberation Army (BLA) was an underground Black Power revolutionary organization that operated in the United States from 1970 to 1981. Composed entirely of Black Panthers (BPP) who served as members of both groups, the organization's program was one of war against the United States government, and its stated goal was to "take up arms for the liberation and self-determination of black people in the United States." The BLA carried out a series of bombings, killings of police officers and drug dealers, robberies, and prison breaks.
WThe Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) is the paramilitary arm of the United States Border Patrol. In 2007, BORTAC was placed under the command of the newly formed Special Operations Group (SOG) together with the Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue Unit (BORSTAR).
WThe Branch Davidians are a religious sect which was founded in 1955 by Benjamin Roden. They are an offshoot of the General Association of Davidian Seventh-Day Adventists, established by Victor Houteff in 1935.
WThe Cambodian Freedom Fighters is an anti-communist political and paramilitary organization that was established on October 21, 1989, by its founder, Chhun Yasith, at Poipet near the Cambodian-Thai border. Their headquarters are in Long Beach, California, United States. It was incorporated and registered at the Californian Secretary of State's office as a political organization in June 1999, and aims "to fight against communists to protect the interests of Cambodian people." The CFF claim to have 500 members in the United States and up to 20,000 supporters in the Kingdom of Cambodia.
WCitizens for Constitutional Freedom (C4CF), later also known as People for Constitutional Freedom (P4CF), was the name taken on January 4, 2016, by an armed private U.S. militia that occupied the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters in the U.S. state of Oregon from January 2 to February 11, 2016. The leader of the organization was Ammon Bundy, son of Cliven D. Bundy, who engaged in a standoff with the federal government over grazing rights on federal land.
WThe Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord (CSA) was a far-right terrorist organization dedicated to Christian Identity and survivalism active in the United States during the 1970s and early 1980s. The CSA developed from a Baptist congregation, the Zarephath-Horeb Community Church, founded in 1971 in Pontiac, Missouri. Over time, Zarephath-Horeb evolved into an extremist paramilitary organization and was rechristened CSA. The group operated a large compound in northern Arkansas called "the Farm". In April 1985, law enforcement officers investigating the group for weapons violations and terrorist acts carried out a siege of the compound. After a peaceful resolution, officers arrested and later convicted CSA's top leaders, and the organization dissolved.
WThe Fruit of Islam (FOI), or "Fruit" for short, is the security and disciplinary wing of the Nation of Islam (NOI). It has also been described as its paramilitary wing. The Fruit of Islam wear distinctive blue or white uniforms and caps and have units at all NOI temples. Louis Farrakhan, as head of the Nation of Islam, is commander-in-chief of the Fruit of Islam, and his son, Mustapha Farrakhan Sr, is second in command. The women's counterpart to the Fruit of Islam is Muslim Girls Training (MGT).
WThe Guardians of the Oglala Nation (GOONs) was a private paramilitary group established in 1972 by the elected tribal chairman, Dick Wilson under authority of the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council. It operated on the Oglala Sioux Pine Ridge Indian Reservation during the early 1970s. It was disbanded after a new chairman was elected in 1976.
WHutaree is a militia movement group adhering to the ideology of the Christian Patriot movement, based near Adrian, Michigan, in the United States. The group formed in early 2006. The name "Hutaree" appears to be a neologism; the group's web site says that the name means "Christian warriors", but an investigation by the FBI concluded the word doesn't have a Christian background. The group became widely known in 2010 after the United States FBI prosecuted them in federal court for an alleged plan for violent revolt. The prosecution said they intended to kill a police officer and to attack the funeral with bombs. The presiding judge dismissed these charges. Three members pleaded guilty to possessing a machine gun and were sentenced to time served.
WThe Idaho Light Foot Militia (ILFM) is a privately organized militia in the state of Idaho. The Idaho Light Foot Militia is distinct from a state defense force in that it is not recognized as part of the organized militia by the government of Idaho, but is rather privately organized by private citizens in the unorganized militia. It describes itself as part of the Patriot movement. The ILFM was founded in 2009.
WThe Militia of Montana (MOM) is a paramilitary organization founded by David and John Trochmann, a retired maker of snowmobile parts, of Noxon, Montana, United States. The organization formed from the remnants of the United Citizens for Justice in late 1992 in response to the standoff during the siege in Ruby Ridge, Idaho. The Militia of Montana reached their member high point in 1999 and largely disbanded after the Y2K threat turned out to be minor.
WThe Minuteman Project was a vigilante organization started in August 2004 by a group of private individuals in the United States to extrajudicially monitor the United States–Mexico border's flow of illegal immigrants. Founded by Jim Gilchrist and Chris Simcox, the name derives from the Minutemen, militiamen who fought in the American Revolution. The Minuteman Project describes itself as "a citizens' Neighborhood Watch on our border", and has attracted media attention to illegal immigration.
WThe Missouri Citizens Militia (MCM) is a private militia in the U.S. state of Missouri composed of military veterans, sheriff’s deputies, police, firefighters and private citizens. It was founded in 2010 by Aaron Penberthy.
WOath Keepers is an American far-right anti-government militia organization. The group describes itself as a non-partisan association of current and former military, police, and first responders, who pledge to fulfill the oath that all military and police take in order to "defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic". It encourages its members to not obey orders which they believe would violate the United States Constitution. The organization claims a membership of 35,000 as of 2016.
WThe Ohio Defense Force (ODF) is a privately organized militia in the state of Ohio. The Ohio Defense Force is not a part of the organized military of Ohio, which consists of the Ohio National Guard, the Ohio Naval Militia, and the Ohio Military Reserve. Rather, it is organized, led, and staffed by private citizens.
WThe Order, also known as the Brüder Schweigen, Silent Brotherhood or less commonly as the "Aryan Resistance Movement" was a white supremacist terrorist organization active in the United States between September 1983 and December 1984. The group raised funds via armed robbery. Ten members were tried and convicted for racketeering, and two for their role in the 1984 murder of radio talk show host Alan Berg.
WRedneck Revolt is an American far-left political group that organizes predominantly among white working-class people. The group supports gun rights and members often openly carry firearms. Its political positions are anti-capitalist, anti-racist and anti-fascist. Founded in Kansas in 2009, members were present at several protests against Donald Trump and against the far-right in 2017.
WThe Republic of Texas is a general term for several organizations, some of which have been called militia groups, that claim the annexation of Texas by the United States was illegal and that Texas remains an independent nation to this day but is under occupation. The issue of the legal status of Texas led the group to claim to have reinstated a provisional government on December 13, 1995. Activists within the movement claim over 40,000 active supporters, and public opinion polls have shown significant support for the secession of Texas or other states. A September 2014 Reuters/Ipsos poll found over 34% of people in southwestern states favored their own state seceding from the United States. So far, however, supporters have not managed to turn these public sentiments into concrete moves toward an independent Texas.
WRuby Ridge was the site of an 11-day siege in 1992 in Boundary County, Idaho, near Naples. It began on August 21, when deputies of the United States Marshals Service (USMS) initiated action to apprehend and arrest Randy Weaver under a bench warrant after his failure to appear on firearms charges. Given three conflicting dates for his court appearance, and suspecting a conspiracy against him, Weaver refused to surrender, and members of his immediate family, and family friend Kevin Harris, resisted as well. The Hostage Rescue Team of the Federal Bureau of Investigation became involved as the siege developed.
WThe Sea Organization is a Scientology organization, which the Church of Scientology describes as a "fraternal religious order, comprising the church's most dedicated members". All Scientology management organizations are controlled exclusively by members of the Sea Org. David Miscavige, the de facto leader of Scientology, is the highest-ranking Sea Org officer, holding the rank of captain.
WThe Silver Legion of America, commonly known as the Silver Shirts, was an underground American fascist organization founded by William Dudley Pelley that was headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina and announced publicly on January 31, 1933. The group was effectively dissolved on December 8, 1941 when police called for the open arrest of any individuals associated with the group.
WThe Special Activities Center (SAC) is a division of the Central Intelligence Agency responsible for covert operations and paramilitary operations. The unit was named Special Activities Division (SAD) prior to 2016. Within SAC there are two separate groups: SAC/SOG for tactical paramilitary operations and SAC/PAG for covert political action.
WThe Three Percenters, also styled 3 Percenters, 3%ers and III%ers, are an American and Canadian far-right militia movement and paramilitary group. The group advocates gun ownership rights and resistance to the U.S. federal government's involvement in local affairs.
WThe White League, also known as the White Man's League, was a white paramilitary terrorist organization started in the Southern United States in 1874 to intimidate freedmen from voting and politically organizing. Its first chapter was formed in Grant Parish, Louisiana, and neighboring parishes and was made up of many of the Confederate veterans who had participated in the Colfax massacre in April 1873. Chapters were soon founded in New Orleans and other areas of the state.
WOn October 8, 2020, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the arrests of 13 domestic terrorism suspects accused of plotting to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan, and otherwise violently overthrow the state government. The suspects were tied to a paramilitary militia group that called themselves the Wolverine Watchmen, which was founded by two of the suspects. Six of the suspects were charged with federal crimes, while the other seven were charged with state crimes. A week later, a fourteenth suspect was charged in state court.